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10-23-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
MAGIC SAYS ISIAH SPREAD RUMORS HE IS GAY: Thomas angrily denies accusation in interview with Sports Illustrated.
*Former NBA star Isiah Thomas tells Sports Illustrated he is "really hurt" over accusations made about him in Earvin "Magic" Johnson's new book, "When The Game Was Ours."
In the book about the Lakers-Celtics-Pistons rivalry of the late 1980s and early '90s, Magic says Thomas spread rumors that Magic was homosexual or bisexual after he announced he had HIV.
"Isiah kept questioning people about it. ... The one guy I thought I could count on had all these doubts. It was like he kicked me in the stomach," Magic says in the book, which will be released Nov. 4 and is co-written with Larry Bird and author Jackie MacMullan.
Thomas denies the charge, telling SI.com, “I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years. I’m totally blindsided by this. Every time that I’ve seen Magic, he has been friendly with me.”
Thomas added, “I didn’t know he felt this way.”
Thomas and Johnson, who are NBA Hall of Famers, became friends and rivals in the 1980s and 1990s, Thomas with the Pistons and Johnson with the Lakers. They met twice in the NBA finals, in 1988 and 1989.
Their friendship is well documented, and Johnson remained publicly supportive of Thomas throughout Thomas’s stormy tenure as president of the Knicks. In fact, Johnson has often said he recommended Thomas for the job, after initially declining it himself.
That is among many points of contention that came to the surface as Thomas reacted to the book.
“That’s a lie,” Thomas told Sports Illustrated.
Also in the book, Johnson admits that he conspired with Michael Jordan and other players to keep Thomas off the 1992 Olympic team, which was nicknamed the Dream Team.
“Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics,’’ Johnson writes. “Nobody on that team wanted to play with him."
Thomas has heard rumors for years that Jordan was responsible for blackballing him.
“I’m glad that he’s finally had the nerve and the courage to stand up and say it was him, as opposed to letting Michael Jordan take the blame for it all these years,’’ Thomas told SI.com. “I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face to face.”
CHRIS BROWN SAYS WEDDING VIDEO CHEERED HIM UP: Plus, singer says he's disappointed in Oprah, cool with Jay-Z and more in first post-beating radio interview.
*Chris Brown is finally speaking out about the famous Youtube video showing a wedding party dancing a choreographed routine down the aisle as his song "Forever" plays in the background.
In a New York radio interview with Hot 97's Angie Martinez, Brown said the viral video hit did cheer him up during the days following his sentencing for assault.
He even wanted to show his appreciation with a wedding gift to the happy couple in the video, like a "whole like living room set or something." But he decided not to go there because he figured media "like TMZ" would find out and accuse him of concocting the whole plot for publicity.
While Brown spent much of the interview stressing his deep regrets for his actions – he expressed disappointment in Oprah Winfrey for her lack of support following his assault of ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
"I don't dis her because I respect what she does for women around the world. But we did so many things together as far as me working for her schools in Africa, that I feel at the time I needed a helping hand, not for my career but as a person, instead of her pointing fingers," said Brown. "At the end of the day, you have opinions and thoughts, and that isn't wrong, but it's not right to judge someone when people make mistakes all the time. I learned from mine, I'm still learning and I regret every moment, every second."
Brown praised the support of others in the industry who stood by him, such as Will Smith and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. "As a young man I needed older black role models to mold me. I didn't need people bashing me or shutting the door on me," he said.
Additionally, Brown said about Jay-Z, who was rumored to be the reason why Brown wasn't asked to perform during this year's BET Awards, "I have no issues with dude. Honestly, I don't know and I don't think it was him."
Brown talked about his counseling and domestic violence classes, stating how they've helped him move on and further realize his errors. "The hurt I put people through with my family and Rihanna -- I don't want to inflict that anymore," he said, assuring listeners that he will never lash out violently again. He also advises young lovers to seek counseling before they spiral out of control.
His regret and melancholy about the assault on "shorty," as he called Rihanna several times throughout the interview, was continuously emphasized. Brown even admitted to still harboring feelings for the 21 year-old, saying if things were "handled differently" they could have possibly continued their relationship.
When asked about media reports alleging that there was violence between the two before and that maybe Rihanna had been physical with Brown first, prior to the altercation, Brown said, "no one knows what went on in that car, but out of respect of me and my privacy and her, I don't talk about it. Whether its reports or media or stuff that's been altered or falsified, I'm not justifying what went down. I still realize what I did is not ok in any way, shape or form."
Since the incident, media criticism has bogged Brown down but his only response to that is "at the end of the day, people don't realize I'm human. I go home, hurt, cry, feel pain, embarrassment, ashamed."
Brown wrapped things up by saying he continues to work on making himself a better person. "I smile, but people can't expect me to walk around everyday of my life frowning," he said. "Life is too short, I love my life and I love my fans and I love me. I'm sorry for what I've done, but the only person that can judge me is God."
Hot97's Miss Info has the entire Chris Brown interview on her Web site. Click here: http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/chris-brown-talks-to-angie-martinez-im-human-i-hurt-cry-i-feel-pain-i-feel-shame-its-not-easy-to-let-my-friend-go/
ANCHOR CALLS JESSE JACKSON 'AL SHARPTON': Contessa Brewer says the wrong name was on her script. (video)
*MSNBC's Contessa Brewer has apologized for getting her black civil rights activists mixed up on live TV. [Scroll down to watch.]
During a segment on homelessness, Rev. Jesse Jackson was shown on the right side of the screen via satellite from NBC's Burbank studio, while Brewer was seen on the left side of the screen - introducing him to viewers as Rev. Al Sharpton.
As she continued her setup for the first question, Jackson was seen staring into the camera looking confused. He waited patiently for Brewer to get to the question, then responded, "I'm Rev. Jesse Jackson."
Even though Jackson's face was on the screen, Brewer immediately began explaining that the name "Al Sharpton" was on her script. She continued, "We all know who you are, Rev. Jackson. I'm so sorry."
Watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CKHFn8mULE&feature=player_embedded
BOBBY SAYS WHITNEY MARRIED TO SQUASH GAY RUMORS: Singer makes allegation in his new tell-all book.
*In his new tell-all book, Bobby Brown says Whitney Houston wanted to marry him so that she could squash rampant rumors that she was a lesbian.
"(The marriage) was doomed from the very beginning," Brown writes in "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But..." "I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married... I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children.
"The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn't go too well with her image... In Whitney's situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not."
Brown divorced Houston in 2007 after 14 years of marriage.
LIZ TAYLOR HOSTS SCREENING OF MIJAC FILM: Actress and good friend of the late singer liked what she saw.
*Michael Jackson's homegirl Elizabeth Taylor, 77, attended a private screening of the late singer's new film "This Is It" last weekend at Sony studios, formerly the MGM Studios where the actress was under contract.
The guest list was limited to several Jackson staff members, including the King of Pop's former assistant Miko Brando, according to Entertainment Tonight.
Taylor, who attended Jackson's Sept. 4 funeral, gave the documentary two thumbs up and led a standing ovation as the credits rolled, ET reported.
"This Is It" officially opens on Oct. 28.
LEBRON ADVISING OHIO STATE QB: '(I'm) trying to mentor him and get him through "life in the spotlight," which I've been through.'
*NBA superstar LeBron James has taken on the role of mentor to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, hoping to school him on the ups and downs of being a celebrity athlete.
"(I'm) trying to mentor him and get him through 'life in the spotlight,' which I've been through," the Cleveland Cavaliers player said after a preseason game in Columbus on Wednesday night.
James, who was still a high school student in Akron, Ohio when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline "The Chosen One," has been speaking to Pryor on the phone in recent weeks doling out advice.
"Being that No. 1 guy, how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it and still perform at a high level?" James said, according to the AP. "Sometimes it can be very difficult on (a young athlete). I'm trying to be that guy who can really help him get through a lot of situations which he's never seen before but now he's seeing and understanding."
Pryor has been under fire from Ohio State fans after throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles in the then-No. 7 ranked Buckeyes' stunning 26-18 loss at Purdue last week. They tumbled to No. 18 this week, and meet Minnesota on Saturday.
GOP SENATOR WANTS OBAMA TO FIX BCS: Orrin Hatch still upset that undefeated home state university was passed over for a championship shot.
*A Republican senator whose undefeated home state school was bypassed for the college football national championship last season urged President Barack Obama on Wednesday to get the Justice Department on the case.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah wants the president to investigate the controversial Bowl Championship Series, a complex system of computer rankings and polls that determines college football's national champion.
Citing Obama's own past criticism of the BCS, Hatch wrote the White House a 10-page letter calling for an antitrust probe of the system.
"Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," Hatch wrote in the letter, obtained by The Associated Press.
Shortly after his election last year, Obama said he was going to "to throw my weight around a little bit" to nudge college football toward a playoff system. Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a "strong case" can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws.
Under the BCS system, some athletic conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowl games while others don't, and the automatic bid conferences also get far more of the revenue. Hatch's home state school, the University of Utah, is from the Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid. The school qualified for a bid last season but was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated.
The system "has been designed to limit the number of teams from non-privileged conferences that will play in BCS games," Hatch wrote.
Hatch said the BCS arrangement likely violates the Sherman Antitrust Act because, he argued, it constitutes a "contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce," quoting from the law. He said the system "artificially limits the number of nationally-relevant bowl games to five. The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools in the non-privileged conferences."
The Justice Department said it would review the letter and respond as appropriate. The White House declined to comment.
Hatch's letter comes a few days after the BCS released its first standings of the year. And on Monday, a group of college football fans launched the Playoff PAC, with the hope of electing more lawmakers who will pressure the BCS to switch to a playoff system. Several lawmakers have introduced bills this year aimed at forcing a playoff system, but none of the bills has advanced.
VIOLA DAVIS JOINS TWO FILMS: Actress books one gig opposite Zach Galifianakis and another under director David Schwimmer.
*Viola Davis has picked up two new film roles this month.
The Academy Award nominee will star opposite Zach Galifianakis in Focus Features’ "It’s Kind of a Funny Story," and in the David Schwimmer-directed drama "Trust" for Millennium Films.
"Funny Story" centers on a clinically depressed 15-year-old who checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward where he gains a new lease on life. Davis will play the psychiatrist who helps him understand his anxieties and provides him with the help he needs, reports Variety.
"Trust" revolves around a family who must deal with the ramifications after their 14-year-old daughter is victimized by an adult who gained her trust posing as a teenager on a chat room. Davis will play the counselor assigned to the girl’s case. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener have already boarded the project.
Davis, who received a best supporting actress Oscar nod for her role in "Doubt," is currently onscreen in the Overture/Film Department feature "Law Abiding Citizen," opposite Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, and will next be seen in the Showtime series "United States of Tara" and the Julia Roberts starrer "Eat, Pray, Love" for Columbia Pictures.
WRITER FOUND FOR 'STOMP THE YARD' SEQUEL: Rob Hardy to pen and direct homecoming-themed sequel; Columbus Short in talks to return.
*Writer-director Rob Hardy, an executive producer on the 2007 film "Stomp the Yard," will sit in the director's chair for the sequel "Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming" for his Rainforest Films banner.
Columbus Short, who starred in the original Sony Screen Gems release, will serve as a producer on the project along with Will Packer ("Obsessed"). Short is also in negotiations to reprise his role as DJ, a master street dancer. The sequel is set to shoot early next month in Atlanta.
Hardy is a partner in Rainforest ("Obsessed," "This Christmas") and an exec producer on the comedies "Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man" and "The Black Phantom," both at Screen Gems. He wrote and directed the features "The Gospel" and "Trois" and has directed episodes of "Criminal Minds" and "ER."
Short recently appeared in "Whiteout" and "Cadillac Records." He next stars in the heist thriller "Armored," which Screen Gems will release in December.
NEVADA JUDGE UNSEALS SOME MIJAC SEARCH DOCS: Media outlets get limited access to materials in death investigation in Vegas.
*A Nevada judge released search warrant documents Wednesday similar to those previously disclosed in the investigation of pop singer Michael Jackson's death, but decided to keep other docs sealed for at least 30 more days – as requested by LAPD.
Clark County District Court Judge Valerie Adair refused to disclose documents relating to an Aug. 11 search of a Las Vegas pharmacy where authorities say Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, bought the powerful anesthetic propofol.
The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Jackson's death a homicide, caused primarily by propofol and another sedative. Murray has not been charged with a crime but is the focus of the police investigation.
According to the AP, newly released documents contain a summary of the police investigation through July 24, including Murray's insistence that he was not the first doctor to administer propofol to Jackson. Police were investigating whether prescriptions came from multiple doctors in violation of professional and criminal codes against excessive prescriptions and prescribing to addicts, the documents state.
The affidavit listed the names of a dermatologist, general practitioner, anesthesiologists, plastic surgeon and nurse practitioner who treated Jackson. The documents said police were seeking records relating to prescriptions "administered, prescribed, obtained, transferred, sold, distributed, and/or concealed" to Jackson or various pseudonyms.
Names listed in the records included Omar Arnold, Paul Farance, Bryan Singleton, Jack London, Jimmy Nicholas, Blanca Nicholas, Roselyn Muhammad, Faheem Muhammad, Frank Tyson, Fernand Diaz, Peter Madonie, Josephine Baker and Kai Chase. It also listed Prince Jackson, the singer's 12-year-old son, as a possible alias.
Lawyers representing The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, TMZ Productions Inc. of Los Angeles and Stephens Media LLC, the parent company of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, are seeking the release of all search warrant documents relating to the Jackson case in Nevada.
After reviewing affidavits and hearing closed-door testimony from a police detective, Adair said she was convinced that releasing documents involving the search of Applied Pharmacy Services "could compromise the Los Angeles Police Department's ongoing investigation into the homicide of Michael Jackson."
She ordered a Nov. 18 hearing to determine whether there is continued justification to keep the search warrant sealed.
CORINNE BAILEY RAE SETS ALBUM RELEASE DATE: Grieving singer to drop 'The Sea' on Feb. 2.
*Corinne Bailey Rae is looking to move on from recent tragedy with the release of her new album "The Sea" on Feb. 2, it was announced Thursday.
The British singer, 30, whose husband Jason was found dead in March 2008, has spoken of how she has channeled her grief into some of the new songs.
"I hope you guys will like it and be into it," she says in a video on her Web site. The artist also says she co-produced the new record and promises "some hints" of the new work and behind-the-scenes footage will be posted to the site.
Prior to the February release of her album, she will perform some new shows in the U.S., as well as a Nov. 23 London concert, People reported.
CAR PROTECTING MIJAC'S KIDS IN FENDER BENDER: Pap slams into back of family's security vehicle. 'Damage was minor and there were no injuries.'
*A paparazzi photographer following Michael Jackson's children around Los Angeles on Wednesday ended up rear ending one of the family's security vehicles while the kids were en route to karate class.
"The damage was minor and there were no injuries," says Sgt. Ann Pickering of the LAPD. "A report was taken and it's under investigation."
TMZ.com cited sources close to the Jackson family who say the nanny, Grace Rwaramba, was driving the kids to karate class when the paps began chasing them. One of the pursuers, according to the Web site, allegedly smashed into the back of a Cadillac Escalade in the Jackson caravan.
The Escalade was a security car that was following Rwaramba and the kids.
Witnesses tell TMZ the driver who struck the Jackson car fled the scene after impact. A hit-and-run report was taken on the scene around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday near the crash site in Sherman Oaks -- just a few miles from the Jackson home in Encino. It is currently under investigation.
ACTOR SAM JONES ARRESTED IN DRUG BUST: Cops say former 'ER' star was trying to sling oxycodone.
*Actor Sam Jones, who played the younger brother of Mekhi Phifer's character Dr. Pratt on NBC's "ER," was arrested Thursday morning on accusations that he conspired to deal more than 10,000 pills of oxycodone.
TMZ.com is reporting that Jones, who also played Clark Kent's best friend on the CW's "Smalville," was taken into custody by DEA agents who claim he was a "co-conspirator" in a series of major drug deals in 2008.
According to documents filed in federal court, the DEA claims Jones was the "Hollywood connection" in a plot to illegally purchase and distribute oxycodone.
The TV star has been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute. If convicted, Jones faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
OC FOLKS WANT TO BAN MAYA ANGELOU CLASSIC: Parents upset over tone of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.'
*Some residents of Orange County, Calif. are trying to remove Maya Angelou's classic memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" from school libraries in Huntington Beach, claiming it is inappropriate for children.
A scene from a book that depicts the rape of an 8-year-old girl was read aloud Monday night during the Huntington Beach City Council meeting.
"I'm not happy to read this, I'm not proud to read this," said Huntington Beach resident Judy Ahrens, according to KABC. "It's very uncomfortable to read it, but we have to do things that aren't comfortable for the sake of our kids."
The protesters say they're upset the book can be found in school libraries in four separate school districts.
"It contains child molestation scenes, lesbian scenes, teen sex scenes and teen pregnancy scenes," said Ocean View School Board Trustee John Briscoe. "And these are not matters for children in middle school or any elementary school."
The mayor of Huntington Beach says he allowed the speakers to continue because he feels it's a matter of freedom of speech.
"Comments can be on whatever you want, and we don't try to dictate what people say, and we ask them to be courteous so it's not a personal attack, and we kind of say, 'Keep the personal attacks down,'" said Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr.
Briscoe says he's brought the issue to several school boards, but he says so far no one is doing anything about it.
"And the first response in any bureaucracy is to wait and see and delay and defer and maybe the problem will go away," said Briscoe. "This problem isn't going away. I'll be on this like a hen on a wet worm. I'm not going to stand for this kind of literature."
The superintendent of Ocean View School District says as soon as the matter was brought to their attention, they submitted the book for review. He says in his district there are only two copies, and it's been checked out five times in the past five years.
ITTY BITTY BITS: 'Ruined' headed to London; Brandy's new car trouble.
*"Ruined," Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer-winning play about women in the Congo, will be helmed in London by Indhu Rubasingham, who previously directed a London staging of Nottage's play "Fabulation." Jenny Jules and Lucian Msamati star in the production, which runs April 15-June 5.
*Brandy was caught driving through Los Angeles while talking on her cell phone, which is against the law in the state of California. TMZ.com posted pap photos of the singer-actress behind the wheel of her Range Rover while holding a cell to her ear.
MARY MARY HAD A BABY: Half of gospel duo gives birth, other is expecting.
*Mary Mary’s Tina Campbell gave birth to a baby boy Tuesday, Oct. 20th. According to GospelFlava.com, Campbell and her husband, Soul Seekers member Teddy Campbell, welcomed TJ into the world weighing seven pounds. This is the third child for the couple. Campbell’s sister and group partner, Erica, has announced that she is three months pregnant with her second child. She is married to producer Warren Campbell.
OPENING THIS WEEK : Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening October 23, 2009
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Amelia (PG for mature themes, smoking, sensuality and mild epithets) Mira Nair directed this bio-pic about the life of Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank), the legendary aviation pioneer who disappeared over the Pacific in 1937 while circumnavigating the globe in a twin-engine propeller plane. Cast includes Richard Gere as her husband, Christopher Eccleston as her navigator, Cherry Jones as Eleanor Roosevelt, Ewan McGregor as her lover, Gene Vidal, and William cuddy, as his son, Gore.
Astro Boy (PG for action, peril and brief mild epithets) Animated sci-fi adventure, narrated by Charlize Theron, about a grieving scientist (Nicolas
Cage) who creates a superhuman replica (Freddie Highmore) of his recently-deceased son. The boy robot strikes out on his own after being rejected by his inventor, and is eventually called upon to save the day when the planet is invaded by a race of menacing aliens. Voice cast includes Eugene Levy, Samuel L. Jackson, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Kristen Bell and Donald Sutherland.
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (PG-13 for intense violence, disturbing images, profanity and mature themes) Horror comedy about a teenager (Chris Massoglia) who runs away from home in order to join a traveling freak show as a vampire’s (John C. Reilly) protégé. With Josh Hutcherson, Salma Hayek, Orlando Jnes, Frankie Faison and Ken Watanabe.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Antichrist (Unrated) Lars von Trier (Manderlay) directs this horror flick about a grieving couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) who retreat to a cabin in the woods to mourn the loss of their son and to work on their marriage only to have things go from bad to worse.
Eulogy for a Vampire (Unrated) Homo-erotic horror flick about a handsome young drifter (Angelo Tursi) who is enlisted by a vengeful, evil spirit (Ryan G. Metzger) to seduce monks at a nearby monastery over to the dark side. With Wilson Hand, Sal Bardo and David McWeeney.
Killing Kasztner (Unrated) Holocaust documentary recounts the case of Rezso Kasztner, a Jewish lawyer who secretly negotiated a deal with Adolf Eichmann to save a trainload of 1,700 prominent Jews while simultaneously condemning the rest of his Hungarian brethren to Auschwitz where the Nazis would exterminate 12,000 a day. Kasztner emigrated to Israel after the war where he was convicted of collaborating with the enemy but assassinated on the street while appealing the sentence. (In English and Hebrew with subtitles)
Motherhood (PG-13 for profanity, and sexual and drug references) Uma Thurman stars in this very eventful day-in-the-life comedy, set in Greenwich Village, about an overburdened, stay-at-home mom’s attempt to throw her 6 year-old daughter (Daisy Tahan) a birthday party while simultaneously writing a 500-word essay extolling the virtues of motherhood for a magazine contest. With Minnie Driver, Anthony Edwards and Jodie Foster.
Night and Day (Unrated) Intercontinental romance drama about a married, middle-aged, Korean artist (Yeong-ho Kim) wanted for drug possession who flees to France where he proceeds to pursue an illicit relationship with a beautiful, young expatriate (Min-jung Seo). (In Korean and French with
subtitles)
Ong Bak 2 (R for graphic violence) Tony Jaa reprises his role as a martial arts master, in this prequel about a young nobleman, orphaned at 10, bent on avenging the murder of his parents. (In Thai with subtitles)
Rembrandt’s J’accuse (Unrated) Peter Greenaway (8½ Women) directed this forensic documentary endeavoring to unlock clues to an unsolved murder mystery rumored to be depicted in Rembrandt’s 1624 masterpiece, “The Night Watch.’
Saw VI (R for profanity, graphic violence and torture) Latest installment of the gruesome horror franchise finds the FBI closing in on Lieutenant Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), the detective-turned apprentice continuing the grisly legacy of the infamous Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell). With Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston and Shawnee Smith.
Stan Helsing (R for profanity, drug use, crude humor and sexuality) Horror comedy about a video store clerk (Steve Howey) called upon to save his hometown from a half-dozen movie monsters on Halloween night. Cast includes Kenan Thompson, Leslie Nielsen and Diora Baird.
Untitled (R for profanity and nude images) NYC sitcom revolving around the incestuous love triangle which evolves when a Chelsea art dealer (Marley
Shelton) starts dating a couple of very competitive brothers, one (Eion Bailey), a commercially-successful painter, the other (Adam Goldberg), a struggling composer of eccentric, experimental music. With Vinnie Jones, Zak Orth and Lucy Punch.
The Wedding Song (Unrated) Character-driven, WWII drama about the lifelong friendship of a Muslim woman (Olympe Borval) and a Jewish woman (Lizzie
Brochere) which becomes strained during the Nazi occupation. (In French and Arabic with subtitles)
PRAYING ROBBER: Remorseful suspect turns himself in.
*A robbery suspect who allowed the clerk he robbed to pray with him has turned himself into police, as reported by the AP Wire. It happened in Indianapolis. Police say if the suspect hadn’t turned himself in they would have tracked him down anyway because the incident was caught on surveillance video.
According to the report the 23-year old suspect, whose name has not been released, demanded money from the clerk at Advance America, a check cashing business. When the clerk started to cry and talked about God the suspect said he was committing the crime to support his toddler daughter. The two prayed together for about 10 minutes before he left with $20 and the clerk’s cell phone. The man has been charged with robbery.
BISHOP WEEKS REMARRIES: Bishop Thomas Weeks is on his honeymoon.
*Bishop Thomas Weeks, the man who garnered national attention in the Gospel world for assaulting his then wife Pastor Juanita Bynum in a hotel parking lot last year, has married again, according to accessatlanta.com. Weeks and Prophetess Christina Glenn were wed in a private ceremony recently. Only church members and close friends were allowed to attend the wedding.
Weeks is the head of Global Destiny Worldwide, an international church empire. Bynum and Weeks built Global Destiny Church together before their relationship fizzled. On Aug. 21, 2007, Weeks attacked Bynum in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta after the couple, then separated, met to discuss their problems. Weeks was later convicted of aggravated assault in the attack. He was sentenced as a first offender, given three years’ probation and ordered to attend anger management classes and perform 200 hours of community service.
Weeks already has incorporated his new wife into his enterprise, which hawks everything from videos to Christian conference tickets. The couple appears together on a videotaped seminar showing Christians how to start loving relationships called "You Can Begin Again. The newlyweds are now on their honeymoon in an undisclosed location.
A BEER AT BIBLE STUDY: Church service at a bar.
*A Wisconsin woman is taking her vow to spread the gospel of Christ to the next level. Kathy Price holds church service at a local bar in Janesville every Sunday morning to reach people who don’t go to church but will go to the juke joint.
"Jesus said what comes out of the heart is more defiling than what goes into the mouth…I want to reach out to the person who believes a beer separates them from God," Price said, adding that she focuses on certain sins of the heart such as greed or self-righteousness.
Price, the daughter of Overflowing Cup pastor the Rev. Dave Fogderud, has been holding services on and off at the bar for a few years. Although some have attacked her for allowing visitors to drink beer, Price joked that putting down a beer is easier than forgiving somebody or letting go of anger.
CATHOLIC RECRUITMENT BLITZ: Vatican strikes while Anglicans down.
*The Catholic Church has started a recruitment blitz to capitalize on the division within the Anglican Church over recent decisions to acceptance of openly gay bishops and female priests. In an extraordinary bid to lure traditionalist Anglicans en masse, the Vatican said it would make it easier for Anglicans uncomfortable with recent decisions by their church’s leadership to join the Roman Catholic Church while retaining many of their traditions.
"Anglicans would be able "to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony," Cardinal William J. Levada, the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith said at a news conference in Vatican City.
The issue has long been close to the heart of Pope Benedict the XVI, who for years has worked to build ties to those Anglicans who, like conservative Catholics, spurn the idea of female and gay priests.
Some Anglican and Catholic leaders expressed surprise, even shock, at the news. The move could have the deepest impact in England, where large numbers of traditionalist Anglicans have protested the Church of England’s embrace of liberal theological reforms like consecrating female bishops. Experts say these Anglicans, and others in places like Australia, might be attracted to the Roman Catholic fold because they have had nowhere else to go.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Pay no attention to what the critics say; there has never been set up a statue in honor of a critic." — Jean Sibelius
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Oct. 23: Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is 53. Singer David Thomas of Take 6 is 43.
Oct. 24: Singer Monica is 29. Singer-actress Adrienne Bailon of 3LW ("The Cheetah Girls") is 26.
Oct. 25: Actor Michael Boatman ("Spin City") is 45. Singer Speech (Arrested Development) is 41. Actor Craig Robertson ("The Office") is 38.
Actor Mehcad Brooks ("Desperate Housewives") is 29. Singer Jerome Jones of Immature is 28. Singer Ciara is 24.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Afro Puffs and Ponytails seek to inspire African American teen girls and young girls by providing positive articles, resources and words of
encouragement (http://afropuffsandponytails.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Oct. 23, 1947: NAACP petition on racism, "An Appeal to the World,"
presented to United Nations at Lake Success.
Oct. 24, 1935: The first black-authored play to become a long-run Broadway hit, Langston Hughes' "Mulatto," opens.
Oct. 25, 1940: Benjamin O Davis becomes the first black general in U.S. Army. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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