11-24-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
OPRAH'S CABLE NETWORK TO DEBUT IN JAN. 2011: OWN to launch in about 80 million homes in place of Discovery Health Channel.
*Oprah's new cable network OWN will debut in January 2011 -- eight months before Oprah Winfrey's syndicated talk show airs its final episode and three years after the joint venture with Discovery Communications was originally formed.
"Oprah has been nourishing people through her television show for nearly 25 years, a legacy that has touched millions the world over," said Christina Norman, CEO of OWN. "She is the life force behind OWN and will be guiding the effort for this completely new 24-hour television experience premiering in January 2011."
OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), which had a full-blown upfront presentation to advertisers in May, was originally expected to launch by the end of this year. Then it was pushed to 2010, and now 2011. The channel will debut in about 80 million homes, rebranding what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.
On Winfrey's show Friday, she said of her talk show departure: "This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number -- the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show. So, the countdown to the end of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' starts now and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you."
GAYLE KING TO FILL OPRAH'S DAYTIME VOID?: Word is she's in talks with CBS to host her own talk show.
*It certainly pays to have the title of "Oprah's Best Friend." According to the New York Post, Gayle King is reportedly meeting with CBS to discuss plans for a possible talk show after "The Oprah Winfrey Show" exits in 2011.
A rep for King, currently editor-at-large at O magazine, has yet to comment on the rumor.
King was given a syndicated talk show, "The Gayle King Show," in 2007, but it was canceled due to bad ratings. View a clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDFJR48w0Hc
RIHANNA CONSTANTLY REMINDED OF CHRIS: 'When [his music] comes on the radio, I don't ... turn it off,' she says. Plus, Tristan Wilds rumor denied.
*Rihanna admits that she still has moments of missing her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, despite their rocky history.
"There are a lot of ... places that we've been to together, music, different things that come up that are reminders of your ex," the singer, 21, told Atlanta radio station Q100. "When [his music] comes on the radio, I don't ... turn it off. I like his music."
She adds: "I've gotten over it, but there are definitely constant reminders ... songs that were our favorite songs, or hit songs."
As for reports last week that she is dating "90210" star Tristan Wilds because he showed up at her private party, Rihanna says the rumors are false.
"This is funny: I had a house party, and you know how you hold house parties and people come over you don't even know," she said. "He came by, brought his friends, and everyone was hanging out, but I don't even have his number. So I don't know how I could be dating him."
In fact, like her ex, Rihanna isn't ready to hit the singles scene yet.
"No. I'm a very flirty girl, though," she says. "I don't think I have all the time for a commitment right now, or the energy. A relationship is another life, another career, really."
JAY-Z STIFF ARMS VICTORIA'S SECRET MODELS: Rapper reportedly refused to be photographed with ladies 'out of respect' for wifey.
*The New York Post's Page Six reported that Jay-Z refused to be photographed with the Victoria's Secret models at Thursday's fashion show and after party for fear of upsetting his wife, Beyoncé.
The rapper would not walk the red carpet or pose with the models, which included Alessandra Ambrosio, Selita Ebanks, Chanel Iman, Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum.
"Victoria's Secret begged, but Jay-Z refused . . . he explained it was out of respect for Beyoncé," a source told the column.
At an afterparty at M2 thrown by Microsoft's Bing, he was given a private booth so he could keep his distance while most other men at the party were clamoring to get near the girls, Page Six claimed.
DIDDY'S $3 MILLION B'DAY BASH DETAILED: Jay-Z, Bono, Martha Stewart, Kim Kardashian, Denzel among guests.
*Sean "Diddy" Combs celebrated his 40th birthday with a $3 million party at New York's Plaza Hotel for 500 guests, including Jay-Z, Bono, Nelly, Martha Stewart, Christy Turlington, Zac Posen, Kim Kardashian and Denzel Washington.
The Garden of Eden-themed ballroom included a $30,000 orchid display, Diddy's own installed black dance floor and black chandelier, and a silver confetti-drop, courtesy of lighting wizard Bentley Meeker.
There was also a performance by R&B icon Al Green.
"Security was tight and even Tyrese Gibson and 'Twilight's' Kellan Lutz had to talk their way into the VIP area," reported the New York Post's Page Six. "Rapper Fabolous flirted with Rachel Hunter after asking Diddy who the leggy beauty was, while DJ Cassidy was working his charms on Adrienne Bailon."
O.J. 'BUFF' AND 'PREACHING RACIAL HARMONY' IN JAIL: New York Post offers update on Simpson's goings-on behind bars.
*The New York Post has written a lengthy article on O.J. Simpson's jailhouse transformation into a "buff, fearless jailbird who preaches racial harmony among his fellow inmates while lapping up pulp fiction and pro wrestling."
The Post's Philip Recchia writes:
Since being tossed into Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center 11 months ago on robbery, assault and kidnapping charges, the double-murder acquittee has adjusted swimmingly to life behind bars.
“OJ works out every day. He’s lost a lot of weight and he’s in great shape,” Simpson’s longtime producer, Norman Pardo, tells The Post. “He says that’s one of the benefits of not being able to go out and party all the time like he used to,” adds Pardo, who has remained in regular contact with The Juice.
When not doing push-ups or pumping iron, Simpson, 62, relaxes by reading best-selling author James Patterson, whose Alex Cross novels follow the cases of an African American homicide detective who practices psychology on the side.
The disgraced gridiron great also follows his alma-mater teams, the USC Trojans and Buffalo Bills – thanks to his loved ones’ generosity. When Simpson first got to Lovelock, where he’s serving a 33-year sentence, he had no TV in his cell. Within days, however, friends and relatives had taken up a collection to buy him one at the prison commissary, says Pardo.
But football isn’t the only sport Simpson tunes into. He’s also fond of such wrestling fare as “SmackDown” and “WWE Superstars.”
And though he gives the prison grub two thumbs up, there is one specialty Simpson misses. “OJ loves soul food,” says Pardo. “When we were touring together, he’d always order grits with his eggs and bacon.”
Lovelock’s lack of grits aside, Simpson – who’s now in the general prison population after initially being held in isolation – is doing his best to give back to the system. While fraternizing with other felons, he often counsels them on such issues as race relations and anger management, says Pardo. In turn, he has managed to avoid even the slightest hint of trouble.
“I have no issues in here. Everybody’s cool,” Simpson has told Pardo, who adds that the prison guards are just as fond of the “Naked Gun”
star as his fellow cons are.
Ditto Simpson’s cellmate, though that relationship wasn’t always so rosy. Earlier this year, when Simpson began bunking with him, Simpson’s daughter Arnelle reportedly griped, “The guy’s a white supremacist.” But today, thanks to Simpson’s finessing of the situation, he and his cellmate are pals.
Click here to read the entire article:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/jailbird_in_killer_shape_37W8RXImk1T9OV1uMCqlTL
MOTOWN'S 50TH DRAWS GORDY, STEVIE, ARETHA: Concert fundraiser honors label founder while raising money for museum.
*Motown Record's 50th anniversary was celebrated in its Detroit hometown Saturday with an all-star lineup of talent from the historic label joining non-Motown Motor City heroes to perform in concert.
Founder Berry Gordy appeared on the red carpet earlier in the evening along with local and national celebrities and dignitaries, including Otis Williams of the Temptations, which was on the bill; Claudette Robinson of the Miracles; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; comedian Sinbad, the event's host; and Detroit Mayor and former Detroit Pistons all-star Dave Bing, reports the Associated Press.
"The pleasure is mine to be here," Gordy said during a pre-concert reception. "I'm thrilled I got the nurturing and all of the things Detroit had to offer me. Motown could not have made it in any other city."
Some 750 people attended the black-tie event at a minimum of $350 per ticket. The money will go toward the Motown Historical Museum, the venue housing the original home of Motown Records Corp., which Gordy started with an $800 loan.
Museum CEO Audley Smith said the facility wants to expand to hold thousands of artifacts and memorabilia that can't be displayed because of space, but he stressed the museum will maintain the integrity of the well-known Hitsville USA house on West Grand Boulevard.
The Motown 50 Golden Gala also included special tributes to Motown alumni who have died, including Michael Jackson.
President Barack Obama sent well wishes via videotape. He said Gordy's "music made history" and his record company "captured a truly American sound." Franklin sang a customized birthday ode to Gordy, who turns 80 on Nov. 28. Afterward, she ushered Gordy to the stage, saying "he absolutely revolutionized the music industry, single-handedly." He was presented a crystal plaque, a large cake and a mass serenade of "Happy Birthday."
Wonder told The Associated Press after the concert that being a part of Gordy's vision has been a blessing.
"I'm just very, very happy (for) that dream Berry had — him meeting me, hearing me, seeing me, that he saw fit for me to be a part of that dream that became reality."
R. KELLY MOVES 'UNTITLED' RELEASE TO DECEMBER: Tour continues through Dec. 8.
*The release of R. Kelly's new studio album "Untitled" has been pushed back to Dec. 1 as he continues to tour in promotion of the project.
The outing --which continues tomorrow in Washington DC --now includes a Dec. 2 appearance in Memphis, TN, as the trek prepares to enter its final leg of dates in the Midwestern and Southern states.
"Untitled," Kelly's 10th studio effort, follows "Double Up," which hit shelves in 2007 and peaked at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. Earlier this year, the singer also released "The Demo," a four-song mix-tape featuring the club hit "Supa Man featuring OJ Da Juiceman."
The itinerary, which wraps Dec. 8 in St. Louis, is included below.
November 2009
20 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
21 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
22 - Greensboro, NC - Special Events Center
24 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
27 - Jacksonville, FL - Moran Theatre
28 - Miami, FL - Knight Centre
29 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
December 2009
2 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
4 - Norfolk, VA - Convocation Center @ Old Dominion University
5 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theatre
6 - Cleveland, OH - Palace Theatre
8 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
MICHAEL'S MOONWALK GLOVE SELLS FOR $350K: Winning bidder buys on behalf of a hotel in Macau.
*The modified golf glove Michael Jackson wore on his left hand for his moonwalk on Motown's 25th anniversary TV special in 1983 was auctioned off Saturday for $350,000 — plus tax.
Winning bidder Hoffman Ma of Hong Kong will pay a total of $420,000, including taxes and fees, for the rhinestone-studded standout in a collection of Jackson memorabilia offered at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Its pre-auction estimate was $40,000 to $60,000.
"It was a fairly good discount," said Ma, a 36-year-old Jackson fan who bought the iconic glove on behalf of the Ponte 16 Resort Hotel in Macau, according to the Associated Press.
Jackson, who died June 25 at 50, had given the glove to Walter "Clyde" Orange, of the R&B group the Commodores.
The sale, held by Los Angeles-based Julien's Auctions, also included a fedora Jackson wore for the moonwalk. It sold for $22,000, against a $2,000 high estimate. Also, a jacket that Jackson wore on his 1989 "Bad" tour fetched $225,000 — 20 times its low estimate of $8,000.
Items from other celebrities were featured at the auction, dubbed "Music Icons." More than 300 items belonging to stars from Elvis Presley and the Beatles to Mariah Carey were up for grabs.
CONRAD MURRAY BOUGHT MJ'S PROPOFOL: Search warrant records show Jackson's personal doc bought it in Vegas and shipped it to L.A.
*Court documents have revealed that the powerful anesthetic recovered from Michael Jackson's bedside after he died was purchased in Nevada by his doctor, Conrad Murray, who had it shipped to California, reports the Associated Press.
Search warrant records released Friday show that Dr. Murray bought the sedative propofol from Applied Pharmacy Services on May 12, according to receipts found in his Las Vegas medical office.
The Los Angeles County coroner blamed propofol in ruling that the 50-year-old pop music icon's June 25 death was a homicide. The coroner also cited the sedative lorazepam.
Murray, 56, is at the center of a Los Angeles police homicide investigation, but has not been charged with a crime. The cardiologist, who is licensed in Nevada, California and Texas, told police he used propofol along with other sedatives to help Jackson sleep.
Records show he obtained the propofol about the same time he was hired in May to accompany Jackson on a world tour. He told police he administered 50 milligrams of the drug intravenously per night to help Jackson sleep, but was trying to use less. In the warrant documents, investigators said Murray told them he gave propofol to Jackson in the hours before he died in a rented Los Angeles mansion.
Through a spokeswoman, Murray maintains that he didn't prescribe or administer anything to Jackson that should have killed him. Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, issued a statement Friday saying he found no surprises in the newly released affidavit.
"The fact that Dr. Murray ordered five bottles of propofol is consistent with what he told investigators," Chernoff said.
The affidavit showed that authorities tracing the manufacturing lot numbers of propofol bottles found in Murray's medical bag and on Jackson's bedside table learned that Murray bought five, 100-milliliter bottles of the drug from the Las Vegas pharmacy as part of an order costing $853. He paid
$65 extra to have it sent to him by overnight express, the document states.
NY REPORTER DOMINIC CARTER CONVICTED: Reporter found guilty of attempted assault on his wife.
*Cable television newsman Dominic Carter, an influential reporter on New York politics, was convicted Friday of third-degree attempted assault on his wife and could face up to three months in jail, reports the Associated Press.
Carter, who was political anchor on NY1 until the station found out about the allegations, had been accused of the more serious charge of third-degree assault. His wife, Marilyn Carter, called 911 last year from their home in Pomona and claimed he hit her.
Photos presented at trial showed the 52-year-old woman's swollen lip, cut ear and bruised arm and leg. However, she recanted her allegation on the witness stand during Carter's Oct. 29 trial in Suffern, N.Y.
In his decision, Ramapo Town Justice Arnold Etelson said he found Marilyn Carter's revised story "nothing short of preposterous." But he also found that she did not sustain "impairment of physical condition or substantial pain" as required for a conviction on the assault charge.
Defense attorney Martin Gotkin said Dominic Carter "still maintains his innocence, claims he never did this and he's going to continue fighting this case to vindicate himself. His intention right now is to appeal."
In the meantime, he has taken an indefinite leave of absence from NY1, where his nightly "Inside City Hall" program was must-see TV for those in or interested in New York city and state politics, analysts said. On Friday, NY1 spokeswoman Nikia Redhead said, "We are in the process of reviewing the court's decision."
Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 14.
IDRIS ELBA JOINS CAST OF 'THOR': Marvel comic adaptation is being directed by Kenneth Branagh.
*Actor Idris Elba has joined the cast of "Thor," Marvel Studios' film centering on the Norse god of thunder.
Kenneth Branagh is directing the adaptation of the Marvel comic, Chris Hemsworth will star as Thor; Tom Hiddleston will play Loki, and Natalie Portman is the love interest, Jane Foster.
Elba will suit up as Heimdall, who, as the guardian of Asgard, stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders.
Elba, who had a recurring role on "The Office," most recently appeared on the big screen in "Obsessed" opposite Beyonce Knowles. He next appears in the heist thriller "Taken" and will have a turn in Dark Castle's DC Comics adaptation "The Losers."
EMINEM POSTPONES 'RELAPSE 2': Rapper will instead re-release current 'Relapse' with new material.
*Eminem has decided to put off his planned "Relapse 2" album - originally scheduled for a late 2009 release - to next year, according to Billboard.com. But on Dec. 21 he'll re-release his current "Relapse" CD with seven bonus tracks.
Dubbed "Relapse: Refill," the Aftermath/Interscope offering will include five never-before-heard tracks, in addition to "Taking My Ball" from the DJ Hero video game and "Forever," which features Drake, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. The latter was featured on the "More Than A Game" soundtrack.
"Hopefully these tracks on 'The Refill' will tide the fans over until we put out 'Relapse 2' next year," Eminem says in a statement.
"I got back in [the studio] with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on 'Relapse 2,' but I still want the other stuff to be heard."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Fantasia a 'homewrecker?'; Nicole Richie home from hospital; Heidi takes Seal's name; Beckford's donuts; Obamas at Sasha's school.
*Star Magazine is reporting that Fantasia Barrino is dating a married man. Antwaun Cook, a 30-year-old father of two, allegedly left his teacher wife and their 4- and 1-year-old sons — and moved into the "American Idol" winner's $1.3 million mansion in North Carolina, the tabloid claims. A friend of Fantasia's said: "I'm not going to deny that the word ‘homewrecker' is floating around."
*Nicole Richie is home from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia. "All is well and we are home with no problems," her boyfriend Joel wrote on the Good Charlotte web site Friday. The rocker returned from a trip to Australia and has been tending to Nicole at Ceders Sinai hospital since he got home. "I was supposed to go into the studio a finish the last few vocals for the record, but that had to wait," Joel added. "Family first." The couple has two kids - Harlow and Sparrow.
*On Friday, a Los Angeles commissioner approved Heidi Klum's legal name change to Heidi Samuel, the surname of her husband Seal, reports People.com. In her filing, Klum, 36, gave a one-word reason for the change: Marriage. The couple tied the knot more than four years ago, and Klum gave birth to their fourth child last month. This week, the model made a surprise appearance when she walked the runway in the Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York just six weeks after giving birth.
*Tyson Beckford partied with Ice-T and Coco at La Pomme on West 26th Street the other night, according to the New York Post. "After letting everyone know he is the new face of Aprilia, he hopped onto his imported, custom-made $20,000 motorcycle and tore up the street by doing donuts to wow the crowd," Page Six reported. "He sped away just before midnight."
*Fresh from his weeklong trip through Asia, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stopped by 8-year-old daughter Sasha's school Friday morning. White House officials said they were visiting Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Md., for a school activity, but declined to elaborate, reports the Associated Press.
KKK PROTESTS REMOVAL OF 'DIXIE' AT OLE MISS: 12 Klansmen stage rally before LSU-Ole Miss game.
*About a dozen hooded Ku Klux Klan members staged a brief rally at the University of Mississippi before Saturday's football game with No. 10 LSU to protest the school's decision to drop a pep song that included "Dixie."
Members of the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan spent about 10 minutes waving flags, displaying Nazi-style salutes and occasionally gesturing at a group of about 250 hecklers that included young children, reports the Associated Press.
Some fans had been ending the Dixie-enhanced pep song by chanting, "The South will rise again." Chancellor Dan Jones asked the band to stop playing it altogether after fans ignored a request to drop the chant.
The Klan said it was protesting over lost Southern symbolism at Ole Miss, which has been rocked by racial strife before.
EUR DVD REVIEW: The Ugly Truth
'Ugly' Sitcom Comes to DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is the producer of a TV morning show in Sacramento suffering from poor ratings. Morale in the studio is so low that crew members have begun bickering with each other, even co-hosts Georgia (Cheryl Hines) and Larry Redding (John Michael Higgins) who happen to be married to each other.
Faced with the prospect of having her program cancelled, Abby grudgingly agrees to let her boss (Nick Searcy) make several programming changes. But she would never have guessed that the first person he'd hire would be a sexist like Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), a womanizer with a popular relationship advice show on public access television.
It turns out that just the night before, Abby happened to tune in to an episode of "The Ugly Truth" by accident. And she'd been so outraged by Mike's misogynistic musings that she was prompted to call in to confront him on the air about his pronouncement that all men are shallow and only interested in a woman's looks. Unfortunately, he got the better of the exchange, putting the anonymous caller on the defensive by insinuating that she was a lonely spinster.
Romantically-challenged Abby's love life has admittedly been a disappointment, between focusing on her career and saving herself for the sort of perfect gentleman that macho Mike claims doesn't exist. Of course, the two butt heads from the moment he arrives at the station the following morning, especially when he goes over her head to get approval for segments featuring everything from female Jello wrestling to a couple of brainless bimbos billed as "The Fun Bag Twins."
So unfolds The Ugly Truth, a predictable battle-of-the-sexes comedy directed by Robert Luketic. Only in a formulaic Hollywood fairytale could an infuriated feminist like Abby eventually fall for a creepy cave man like Mike. The script (written by a trio of ostensibly self-hating females, by the way) has her going gaga over a date-rape advocate who believes that "Just because she says no doesn't mean she means no."
But worse than the implausible and patently offensive plotline is the picture's relentlessly-raunchy brand of humor designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator in a decidedly-coarse fashion. Ugly, and that's the truth!
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 96 minutes
Studi Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD Extras: 6 deleted scenes, 2 alternate endings, gag reel, select scene commentary by the director and producer, and a couple of featurettes.
To order a copy of The Ugly Truth on DVD, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P413IC?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCo
de=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002P413IC
To see a trailer for The Ugly Truth, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmoSpjj_Qkw
CHEATING THE CHURCH: Nationwide scam draws attention of Attorney General.
*As many as 30 churches in southern California have fallen victim to an illegal computer leasing scheme designed to drain tens of thousands of dollars from their coffers. State Attorney General Jerry Brown said the churches might have been defrauded by the same companies suspected of bilking other churches in as many as 10 other states. The companies offered churches what were supposed to be free computer kiosks that could serve as electronic message boards to generate advertising revenue for the churches, Brown said.
"Instead, churches were left with leases as high as $45,000 per year for what amounted to little more than desktop computers and printers housed in podium-sized wooden boxes," the attorney general's office told the Associated Press.
When church leaders refused to pay the fraudulent fees, authorities said leasing companies filed lawsuits against the churches to collect payments, interest and late fees.
Three men and two women who owned the companies that offered the kiosks are under investigation for allegedly bilking churches out of more than $600,000. Brown's office said it had served subpoenas at Urban Interfaith Network and Television Broadcasting Online, three leasing companies including Irvine-based Balboa Capital Corp.; United Leasing Associates of America Ltd. of Brookfield, Wis.; and San Francisco-based Banc of America Leasing and Capital LLC. Banc of America Leasing is a subsidiary of Bank of America.
Banc of America spokesman Will Wilson said the firm was cooperating with the probe and it had been unaware of any allegations of wrongdoing at the time it did business with companies involved in the alleged scam.
OUT OF THE CLOSET: D.C.’s gay community takes stand against Catholic Church.
*Members of the gay community in the nation’s capital say they are not above blackmail when it comes to proving their point against the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. According to a Beliefnet article, D.C. gays have organized to force gay priests out of the closet to protest the Catholic Church's stand against gay marriage.
The plan which was detailed on a website called Church Outing, encouraged closeted gay priests to reveal themselves or risk being outed. The site went on to say "Even more shameful, is that many of these priests, while remaining silent, actually lead duplicitous lives rich with romantic and sexual relationships -- both homosexual and heterosexual. This hypocrisy must end."
Campaign organizers say the goal of this campaign is to collect reports on every gay priest in the Archdiocese, so they can work together to stand up to the church’s stand on homosexuality.
SUNDAY MORNING THIEF: Parishioners fall victim at church.
*Churchgoers in Buffalo, N.Y. are praying with one eye open after their wallets and purses were stolen during Sunday services last week. It happened at St. Mark's on Amherst and Woodward, St. Louis at Main and Edward, St. George Orthodox on Amherst and Nottingham and Westminster Presbyterian on Delaware. According to WIVB-TV, police said a woman driving a silver Ford Taurus with the New York license plate EVU 2608 is to blame for all four crimes.
"She has in a couple instances talked to the people in the church. She appears to be disheveled, almost, like being welcomed into the church. It's almost striking at people's vulnerable moments," Chief Dennis Richards said in an interview.
Police are reminding church goers to not leave purses or wallets unattended during service
CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS JOIN FORCES: Cross denominational group takes a stand.
*More than 150 leaders across a spectrum of conservative Christianity have released a 4,700-word document vowing civil disobedience if they are forced to take part in "anti-life acts" or bless gay marriages. Called the "Manhattan Declaration," the six-page document was drafted by mixed denomination of writers including Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson, Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic and a host of Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox bishops, archbishops and cardinals.
"Throughout the centuries, Christianity has taught that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required," the document states, citing civil rights icon Martin Luther King and his willingness to go to jail for his beliefs.
Organizers stopped short of saying what sort of civil disobedience the writers have planned. But the document went on to state proposing, "Because we honor justice and the common good," it states "we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide or euthanasia or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family."
There are at least 224 million Christians in the United States, according to the Web site Adherents.com. The document is being released at a time of high stress for many of the groups that signed it. The Archdiocese of Washington is under fire for saying it will not comply with a pending D.C. law that would force the Catholic Church to give health benefits or adoption services to same-sex couples.
NEWCOMER NEVELS DEBUTS: CD gains airplay.
*Gospel music audiences across the nation welcome contemporary, inspirational recording artist and songwriter Emmitt Nevels, Jr. as he releases his debut CD "Love You I" on 7-Places Global Gospel. Nevels’ style invokes passionate praise and a distinct call to worship that has gospel programmers nationwide adding Nevels to their station’s music rotation.
According to Gospel News Today, the up-tempo praise single "I Wanna Bless You" is already gaining national airplay in radio markets such as Atlanta, Detroit, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Buffalo, NY. And, Jazz-styled tracks "Eternity" and "It’s A Good Day" may soon find their way on the playlists of smooth inspirational Jazz shows.
Nevels, a Youngstown, Ohio native, previously sang lead for a local group G-Clef and even had an offer to join the Grammy award-winning gospel group Commissioned in the 1990s when Gospel star Fred Hammond left the group.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
Today’s ‘Live Better With Willie Jolley’ Tip: Settling For The Leftovers
Most people settle for the leftovers life gives them rather than creating a banquet table for themselves. They dream little dreams, think little thoughts, and get little results. Why?
Because most don’t think they can do any better. They settle for mediocrity rather than going the extra mile for excellence. They don’t think they can do it. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, either way you’re probably right.”
You accomplish what you think you can accomplish. You can if you think you can, and you probably won’t if you think you can’t.
Most people go to their graves with their dreams still inside of them. Most of us act like the man who was told to go into a bank and take whatever he wanted. He took a penny and left because he didn’t think he could handle any more! He thought it would be too hard to keep the wealth. Ladies and gentlemen, we are what we think about. Think big!
Visit my website at www.williejolley.com free motivation and make every minute count!
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Nov. 23: Actor John Henton ("The Hughleys," 'Living Single") is 49.
"Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts is 49. Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield ("Family Law") is 42. Rapper Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound is 37.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Black and Missing but not Forgotten was founded in July 2007 in effort to raise more awareness of missing black women, children and men (www.blackandmissing.org).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less)
description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Nov. 23, 1897: JL Love puts patents on the pencil sharpener.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
