BRANDY INVOLVED IN FATAL CAR ACCIDENT: Singer releases statement expressing remorse for victim.
According to TMZ.com, Brandy was behind the wheel of her 2007 Land Rover on Dec.
30 traveling at 65 mph on the 405 freeway and did not notice that cars in front of her had slowed down. Sources say Brandy's vehicle struck a 2005 Toyota, which, in turn, hit a 1989 Toyota. The 2005 Toyota then slid sideways and hit the center divider.
As the 2005 Toyota came to a halt, it was struck by a 1988 Acura.
The driver of the 2005 Toyota was rushed to Holy Cross Hospital in critical condition and eventually died of her injuries, sources tell the Web site. The driver of the Acura is said to have suffered moderate injuries.
Police found no drugs or alcohol at the scene, and Brandy was neither injured nor arrested, TMZ reports.
However, TMZ reported Wednesday afternoon that it has spoken exclusively with a man who says he was driving directly behind Brandy at the time of the crash and claims the entertainer repeatedly blamed herself. "She got upset, talking about how it was all her fault .
.. she didn't stop, kept saying how she hit the lady," the witness tells TMZ.
The witness also claims Brandy was hysterical at the scene and that he attempted to console her by repeating, "It was an accident." He says he advised Brandy to stop admitting guilt, and at one point checked on the woman in the Toyota, but couldn't find a pulse.
A statement released Wednesday by Barnes said Brandy “wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased.
Brandy asks that you respect the privacy of every one involved at this time.”
ISAIAH WASHINGTON BEGINS TREATMENT FOR HOMOPHOBIA: Actor proactive in addressing use of gay slur.
"With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling," the actor said in a statement Wednesday.
"I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again. I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity, and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally."
According to E!
Online, Washington agreed to “undergo a psychological assessment” after meeting with ABC executives about his comment backstage at the Golden Globe awards, where he denied that he had referred to his costar T.R. Knight as a "faggot.
"
when I say that Isaiah Washington's use of such a disturbing word was a shocking and dismaying event that insulted not only gays and lesbians everywhere but anyone who has ever struggled for respect in a world that is not always accepting of difference," show creator Shonda Rhimes said in a statement Wednesday.
"We've been working within the ‘Grey's’ family as well as with ABC and Touchstone to address the issue in a way that underscores the gravity of the situation while giving us all a foundation for healing. We applaud and encourage Isaiah's realization that he needs help and his subsequent choice to seek immediate treatment for his behavioral issues.
"
Earlier this week, Washington met with gay leaders to determine ways in which he might change his behavior and encourage others to do so. Both the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network commended Washington's determination to make amends for his actions.
JAMES BROWN’S BODY MOVED TO A CRYPT: Late singer to remain there amid family dispute and decision on final resting place.
*The body of James Brown has been temporarily moved to an above-ground crypt while matters involving his estate are being worked out by his family, including a definitive decision about his final resting place. Following his death on Christmas day, the Godfather of Soul’s remains were kept in the gold-and-bronze casket used during his funeral services and held for 20 days in a temperature-controlled room at his Beech Island, South Carolina home. His remains were moved last Thursday to a temporary crypt in an undisclosed location, until Brown's relatives can agree on a final resting place, the AP reports according to Charlie Reid, owner of CA Reid funeral home in Augusta, Georgia, which has been in charge of the remains since late December.
Reid said the crypt was a much more appropriate place to house the body until the dispute is resolved. Part of the drama with Brown’s family includes the omission of his partner Tomi Rae Hynie and their five-year-old son from his last will and testament. His other six children are to divide up his personal possessions, clothing, jewelry and cars as expressed in the will, which was registered in court the same day Brown's remains where moved to the new location.
SNOOP DOGG PLEADS INNOCENT TO BATON CHARGE: Rapper not present during Wednesday’s hearing in Santa Ana.
*A plea of innocent was entered in court Wednesday by lawyers representing rapper Snoop Dogg, who is charged with possession of a deadly weapon after he was caught trying to pass through airport security with a collapsible baton in his luggage.
The baton, which expands from 8 to 21 inches, is on the federal list of dangerous weapon and is illegal to carry onto a plane.
Last November, screeners at John Wayne Airport in Orange County spotted the baton in his carry on bag. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, has said the baton was intended for use in a music video. If convicted, Snoop is facing a maximum three-year prison sentence.
At the hearing in Santa Ana, Calif., south of Los Angeles, Snoop’s lawyers also asked the judge for a speedy trial.
RACHEL RAY VS.
OPRAH WINFREY?: Did the perkiest cook on TV actually say Oprah ‘has problems being black?’
*The folks at TMZ.
com are quoting sources that Food Network superstar Rachel Ray, who now has her own King World-distributed daytime talk show under Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo productions, got a little tipsy and began bad-mouthing her boss during initial negotiations for the program.
As the Web site tells it: “Ray was at the Century City Shopping Mall in Los Angeles for a book signing. Reps from King World, the production company that was syndicating the show, were shooting the event for its sales presentation.
At around 7 p.m., Ray, along with seven others, went to Houston's Restaurant in the mall.
They sat in a booth in the far right rear of the restaurant. Ray ordered fish and complained to the table it was dry. She was also drinking red wine and lots of it -- one source says a minimum of four big glasses.
“We're told Ray became ‘extremely loud and aggressive,’ and began dissing Oprah." Sources say she told the group about a portrait of Oprah that sits in the lobby of Harpo Productions in Chicago. It's from the movie ‘Beloved’ and shows Winfrey's back, enhanced with scars.
She's also wearing a skirt from the slavery era. “Back at the table, sources say Ray launched into attack mode: ‘Why is she wearing slave drag? She obviously has problems being black.
’” TMZ dialed up the Director of Publicity for ‘Rachael Ray,’ Charlie Dougiello, who said, "Rachael did attend the dinner referenced and enjoyed wine and good conversation with friends and colleagues. She denies making any of the comments referenced. In fact, there are several words that are attributed to Rachael that she has never uttered in her life.
" Dougiello added, "Neither in public nor in private has Rachael made a disparaging or cruel remark about her friend and mentor, Oprah. …There were several associates of Rachael's at that table who, unprompted, agreed that Rachael never made any of the comments she is being accused of making..
. and it seems very convenient that these accusations are being levied at a time when Rachael's success has focused the public eye on her."
ONE ‘IDOL’ REPLACES ANOTHER ON ‘BILLBOARD’: Plus, Paris Bennett enlists “Chicken Little” to rap on her debut LP.
*Not only has Idolmania swept the country with the launch of season six on Fox last week, but “American Idol” veterans are also in the headlines this week due in part to recent activity atop the Billboard 200 album chart. For two weeks, third season standout Jennifer Hudson and her co-stars in “Dreamgirls” have topped the chart with the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film. But the disc falls to No.
2 this week behind “Daughtry,” the debut album from season five rocker Chris Daughtry. Another season five favorite, Paris Bennett, is preparing to release her debut album “Princess P” with help from fellow 5th season contestants Lisa Tucker and Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais. "What people don't know is that he can rap," Bennett told VH1.
com of Covais. "He loves Kanye West. He'd rap whole songs.
He used to freestyle backstage. I was like, 'I have to do that on my album.’” Bennett followed through and features Covais on a hip-hop track called, fittingly, "Let Me Rap.
" The Tucker duet is still in the planning stages, but the two are now tight homies since appearing on the show and talk daily. “Princess P,” named after the tag given to her by “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, also features her famous grandmother Ann Nesby from the Sounds of Blackness, as well as Paris' mother and 70-year-old great-grandmother. "I'm a fourth-generation singer, so we did a song together called 'Best Friend,'" Bennett said.
"While we were recording it was kind of normal, but once we sat down to listen to it, we were tripping out." The album's first single, “Ordinary Love,” is a rock and soul mixture produced by Beyonc collaborator Jon Jon Traxx. “‘Ordinary Love' basically talks about me, a teen girl saying, 'I like this dude so much — it's not just love, I think he's my soul mate,' " The album is due in March on the independent label 306 Entertainment.
JIMI HENDRIX ENERGY DRINK DUE IN APRIL: Nonalcoholic beverage already source of controversy.
*Jimi Hendrix fans are not happy about the planned launch of a new product that uses the guitar legend’s image and borrows its name from his breakthrough 1967 album, “Are You Experienced.”
In April, the company Beverage Concepts is scheduled to premiere its new “Liquid Experience” energy drink, with a portion of the profits going toward a yet-to-be-named music education foundation, says Beverage Concepts Chief Executive Josh Glass, according to the AP.
Despite the drink’s charity angle, some fans still find hard to stomach the mass marketing of a musician considered the greatest guitarist of all time. "To see his image and the beautiful feelings it has created during my lifetime cheapened by base advertising ..
. is very disappointing to me," said bassist Michael Balzary, a.k.
a. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The image of Hendrix, who died in 1970 from a drug overdose in London, has been licensed for products including baby clothing, an air freshener, lava lamp and a Christmas ornament.
Portions of royalties have gone to several educational causes, including the United Negro College Fund, said Bruce Kuhlman, director of licensing and brand development for Authentic Hendrix, the Seattle-based company that controls use of Hendrix's name and images.
FALCONS WANT MICHAEL VICK TO STAY PUT: Plus, security video of his water bottle incident deleted, police tell newspaper.
*The Atlanta Falcons say they have no intention of trading their quarterback Michael Vick, despite his recent controversy involving a suspicious water bottle.
"There are no plans to trade him or cut him," said Kim Shreckengost, executive vice president of operations for Arthur M. Blank Group. "Michael is our quarterback and the leader of our team.
We have a new head coach [Bobby Petrino] who is anxious to start working with him. Everyone has high expectations of him going into next season. Michael has those too.
"
Meanwhile, the security video showing Vick tossing the water bottle at Miami International Airport last week has reportedly been erased by Miami-Dade police. As previously reported, the bottle was alleged to have a hidden compartment that an initial police report said contained "a small amount of a dark particulant and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper says it requested the footage under Florida's public records law, but was told by police they would not release it because it was part of an open investigation.
On Tuesday, the AJC again requested a copy of the video and was told that it had been erased. "The video that you are asking for was on a flash drive," Williams wrote in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon to the AJC. "That information was shown to the State Attorney's Office and it was determined by them that no criminal act was committed and no charges were filed.
Therefore this video was deleted from the flash drive since it was not being used in a criminal case."
The video was provided to the police by the TSA, which still has a copy of the video but has refused to release it, citing national security concerns.
RODNEY JERKINS’ ALL-STAR CHARITY ALBUM COMPLETE: ‘We Are Family’ reunites Sister Sledge, features Patti, Ciara and others.
*It’s better late than never when it comes to the release of “We Are Family 2007,” the Rodney Jerkins-produced all-star cover of Sister Sledge’s 1979 anthem that was originally due in the fall to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
According to Billboard.com, the CD/DVD project is now scheduled for release on Feb.
27 via Bungalo/Universal. The new version reunites the Sledge sisters for the first time in two decades and also features Chris Brown, Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Mary Mary, BeBe Winans, Ray J and Joy Enriquez.
A bonus DVD features behind-the-scenes footage from recording sessions for the single.
Sister Sledge will promote the project during a Feb. 3 event at the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art Plaza in conjunction with this year's Super LIL’ JON PUTS CRUNK AHEAD OF LABEL BEEF: Producer mends fences with TVT ahead of ‘Crunk Rock’ release.
*Lil Jon says he has shaken off record company politics that threatened to ground his upcoming solo album, “Crunk Rock,” which is now due sometime in the second quarter of the year.
The first single from the TVT disc was actually “Snap Yo Fingers,” which was released last August featuring E-40 and Sean Paul of the Youngbloodz and went straight to the top of Billboard's Hot R B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. But the album never followed due to issues with the record company. "I dropped 'Snap Yo Fingers' because I was going through the drama with TVT Records, and I wanted to show people that I didn't go anywhere," Lil Jon tells Billboard.
"TVT and I eventually settled our differences. So I was caught between a rock and a hard place, because it was really the first single for 'Crunk Rock.' So it was either promote the record for a nice look in the marketplace, or we don't do anything and start from scratch when I do put my record out.
" Lil Jon was on the verge of severing ties with TVT in late 2005, but the record label met his demands, which he won't discuss, by spring of the following year and he remained with the imprint. These days, he’s back in the studio continuing work on “Crunk Rock.” "It's not a compilation," Jon says.
"But it'll have a lot of appearances, like how Dr. Dre does his records. There'll be a hip-hop side and a rock side.
It's a mixture of all the sh*t I've done. Like Run-D.M.
C. rapping over a hard rock track, I'm going to go back to some of those hard guitars over hip-hop beats. I won't do a Metallica song, but I'll take a Metallica riff and put it over a gangsta beat.
" Lil’ Jon says he has already recorded the song “Roll Call,” featuring Lil' Wayne and Ciara, and reveals other finished tracks such as “me and Three 6 Mafia [on a song] called 'Act a Fool,' me and R. Kelly on a song called 'Myspace,' and Nate Dogg has a song too but I don't know what that's called yet." MIJAC’S LAWYER SUES EAVESDROPPING JET CO.
: Mark Geragos says he’s now paranoid about being secretly taped.
Jackson, who was acquitted of the charges in 2005 following a high-profile trial, was originally part of the civil suit against XtraJet, but later dropped out of the case.
Geragos testified this week that the secret videotaping was one of the worst experiences of his 24 years in legal work, and he now takes extreme measures to ensure that his private conversations with clients are not secretly recorded.
He testified that he has met with some clients under freeway overpasses and in hotel rooms, and twice sent a colleague overseas to discuss a case rather than have them discuss it over the phone or by e-mail.
"I can't think of any act more distressing to me at a professional level than what was done here," Geragos said, adding that he obtained a court order preventing XtraJet's then-owner, Jeffrey Borer, from selling the footage after learning of it through the news media.
Borer and co-defendant Arvel Jett Reeves pleaded guilty in 2005 to installing two digital video recorders to record "a professional entertainer" and his lawyer as the pair traveled by private jet.
Borer was sentenced in October to six months of home detention and three years' probation, and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Reeves was sentenced in July to eight months in prison, six additional months in a halfway house and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. In videotaped testimony shown in court Monday, Reeves said that no audio was recorded on the flight tapes.
Lawyers in the case waived their right to a jury so that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge could decide the outcome.
50 CENT PRODUCER ‘DISCO D’ COMMITS SUICIDE: David Shayman found dead in his New York home at age 27.
*David “Disco D” Shayman, a producer who worked with 50 Cent on the rapper’s 2005 album “The Massacre,” committed suicide on Tuesday morning at his home in New York.
He was 27.
According to MTV, the up-and-coming producer had been suffering from manic depression and was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan native first gained fame as a local DJ in the Detroit area.
He began producing tracks for such artists as 50 Cent ("The Ski Mask Way") Nina Sky ("Turnin' Me On") and Kevin Federline ("Papazao").
"I saw that he sent a website message a couple days ago to me and I replied before I left for the studio. I got back late and saw that he was excited about the news that one of his tracks was making it on ‘Ultimate Victory,’ considering the fact that he didn't make it on my first album.
I told him that Lil’ Wayne was putting his verse on the song and sent him my number so that he could contact me directly if he needed to. We were in the process of negotiation with his management and lawyers but a situation as tragic as this makes me not even want to think about discussing any music or contracts. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones.
I hope he rests in heavenly peace."
STARS OF ‘WEEDS,’ ‘SHIELD’ GET NAMIC LOVE: Malco, Patano, Pounder, Whitaker, and BET’s ‘Comic View’ nominated for annual award.
*Actors Romany Malco and Tonye Patano of Showtime’s original series “Weeds” were among the multi-cultural nominees for a Vision Award, given out annually by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC).
The group, which honors outstanding achievements in original, multi-ethnic cable programming, also gave BET two nominations: Best Comedy for "Comic View" and a Best Actress -- Comedy for the show's host, Sheryl Underwood. FX Networks' "The Shield" was the top nominated program with four nods, including Forest Whitaker, Benito Martinez and CCH Pounder in the dramatic acting categories. "Since 2004, the number of nominated networks has increased year over year, which is indicative of cable's commitment to multi-ethnic, culturally diverse programming," said Kathy Johnson, president, NAMIC.
"In turn, the NAMIC Vision Awards continue to be the leading platform for recognizing these achievements."
For more information and a complete list of nominees for the 13th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards, visit .
*Here’s an interesting take on the so-called “Dreamgirls” Oscar snub from veteran pop culture writer Miki Turner at msnbc.
com. The African American freelance writer says the Academy was on point not to nominate the popular musical because it wasn’t among the best of the year. “Beyonce Knowles didn’t have the chops to convincingly portray the [Diana] Ross-inspired character of Deena.
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx was unimpressive as her manager/husband Curtis. Hudson, appearing in her first film, was a joy to watch but her greatness is tied to the show-stopping musical number ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.’ Without that and the momentum that followed in the press, Hudson’s name probably wouldn’t have been among the other nominees,” Turner writes.
Read the entire piece here: *Freelance writer Anna David touched on a long-standing “American Idol” issue that was brought to light again during Tuesday’s episode from the Memphis auditions. In her “Reality Check” column on Fox.com, she writes about the unfair dismissal of Wandera, described by David as “a girl with hair that can only be described as a red mullet-flip style” who was clearly a better singer than some of the other contestants that were given clearance to Hollywood.
Read her column here: *Writer Raakhee Mirchandani of the New York Post can’t understand why Beyonce has taken to raising her arms while posing for photographers during recent red carpet events. “At the Golden Globes, she draped her arm over the back of her head. At premieres of ‘Dreamgirls’ in London and Paris, she flashed a glimpse of the dark crevices of her underarms.
The fashion world agrees: It's the pits,” Mirchandani writes. The column was even discussed on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The View” during the Hot Topics segment. "Maybe this is how she gets back at Jennifer Hudson," says movement instructor and model coach Mac Folkes in the column.
"She's trying to grab some headlines back by showing off her armpits." Read the entire piece *When Meg Ryan faked an orgasm in When Harry Met Sally it was thought of as one of the more daring demonstrations of female sexuality in the history of the cinema. But we've apparently come a long way, baby, since 1989, when you consider this unexpurgated celebration of women's eroticism.
Directed by Monika Treut, this shocking documentary dares to discuss virtually every taboo in the process of taking you deep inside the female mind and body, both literally and figuratively. The picture is constructed as five separate bio-pics about uncompromising individuals on the kinky fringe, including Carol, a bondage enthusiast who has no problem disrobing on camera to show why she enjoys certain S M accoutrements.
Another features an interview with performance artist Annie Sprinkle whose federally-funded act includes inviting members of the audience to examine her private parts thru a speculum.
Annie is followed by the relatively-cerebral Camille Paglia, who keeps her clothes on, but is no less outrageous in terms of her all-out assault on conventional thinking, including that of those ostensibly ossified feminists who misunderstand her pro-pornography point-of-view. Paglia, author of the groundbreaking best-seller Sexual Personae, is brilliant here, ruminating at breakneck speed about everything from date rape to radical lesbianism.
The film's fourth act belongs to Max, a transgendered Native American who is now a well-adjusted, post-op male.
Finally, there's a chapter on the recently-deceased Eva Norvind, a Norwegian beauty who, after a brief career in legit Mexican movies in the Sixties, made her way to New York City for a celebrated career as a dominatrix.
A captivating quintet of erotic adventurers.
DVD Extras: Biography of and interview with director Monika Treut, plus a biography and photo gallery of actress Eva Norvind.
FILM/TV BITS: Free ‘Freedom’ tix; ‘Tsotsi’ star arrested; Hayes moves on; Foster Brown on PoPNetworks; Gardner’s Lamborghini.
*Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Inc. is teaming with Paramount Pictures to offer free tickets for teachers wanting to see the movie "Freedom Writers," reports AP.
The offer, extended as a way to honor teachers, is good from Friday through Feb. 1 for teachers in grades kindergarten through 12th who show a valid school identification or pay stub. "We hope this will help express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all that they do, often with very little `thanks' in return," the Kansas City-based exhibitor said in a news release.
*Presley Chweneyagae, the 22-year-old star of Oscar-winning South African film "Tsotsi," was arrested in Johannesburg for allegedly trying to convert a driver’s license from the Ivory Coast to a South African license. The Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper quoted Moonyeenn Lee, the agent for the film, as saying that Chweneyagae had never visited the Ivory Coast and did not even drive. "It must be a joke.
I know for a fact that Presley never drives. We always arrange a car for him or his friends collect him. He's never had a driver's license and I don't think he's even applied for a learner's license," Lee said.
"He's never had money to learn, and I don't think he's got the money for that today. He doesn't have money to buy a car because he gives most of his money to his mother."
*Isaac Hayes says he has moved on after his bitter break up with the Comedy Central show “South Park,” where he voiced the beloved character of Chef from 1997 through 2006.
"I just moved on," he told the New York Post. Despite being offended by an episode that skewered his Scientology religion, the Grammy-winning singer now says his departure was over money. "They didn't pay me enough," he said, still recovering from a stroke and in physical therapy.
"They weren't that nice."
*After creating the successful magazine Sister 2 Sister and hosting a syndicated radio program via Westwood One and the BBC, Jamie Foster Brown has broken into “new media” with the Jan. 21 launch of “What’s Up w/ Jamie Foster Brown,” the centerpiece of the 2007 programming lineup on PoPNetworks’ Urban Life Television (ULTV).
The show features “fast-breaking entertainment and urban fashion news laced with Jamie’s trademark sass, innate intelligence, sensitivity and well-honed sense of humor,” a press release states. “What’s Up w/ Jamie Foster Brown” can be viewed by shoppers in multiple Downtown Locker Room retail outlets in shopping malls located in Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
There are plans to roll out ULTV to other cities in the southern and southwestern retail markets.
*Chris Gardner, the Wall Street wizard whose story was portrayed by Oscar nominee Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” was surprised recently during a speaking engagement with news that he would soon be behind the wheel of a new Murcielago Lamborghini LP 640 from Lamborghini Orange County…but only to drive himself to the airport. Before Gardner’s Jan.
17th speech at the 2007 Orange County Auto Dealers Association's Annual Meeting, he told executives from Lamborghini Orange County of his desire to own an LP 640. The car dealership instead granted him the next best thing, driving one to the airport. After concluding his presentation, Gardner joked to the crowd: "Now time to go out there and get some speeding tickets.
"
THEATER/MUSIC BITS: Lewis begins ‘Sister Act’ in Atlanta; ‘Oprah’ boosts ‘Bailey Rae’; Radio Golf extended in Chicago.
*“A Different World” actress Dawnn Lewis stars in the new musical Sister Act, which officially opened Wednesday at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in the Woodruff Arts Center (corner of Peachtree and 15th Street). Following its extended, record-breaking run at the Pasadena Playhouse, the new musical will continue in the ATL through Feb.
25. "When disco club singer Deloris Van Cartier is placed in protective custody in a dying convent, her unique brand of funk comes face-to-face with the traditions of the church and the strict order is in for a change," reads a Sister Act press release. "Masquerading as a nun named Mary Clarence, this Sister's act will have you laughing and singing in the aisles.
" Tickets are available by calling (404) *Corinne Bailey Rae’s appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last week has translated into a 155 percent boost in sales of her self-titled debut album. After 31 weeks on the chart, the Capitol set reaches a new peak of No. 4.
*Due to popular demand, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre will extend August Wilson's Radio Golf, directed by Kenny Leon, through Feb. 25. The play officially opened Tuesday and is the centerpiece of Goodman Theatre's August Wilson Celebration, a tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright.
The launch of the play made Goodman the only resident theatre to have produced every play in the late Wilson's ten-play cycle about the 20th century African-American experience. For more information, visit .
SPORTS BITS: Tyson pleads not guilty; Melle Mel wants to wrestle; Derek Jeter dating Gabrielle Union?
*Mike Tyson pleaded not guilty this week to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence. The former heavyweight champ was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona last month after nearly crashing his car into a police vehicle and being found with cocaine in his possession. Tyson has been formally charged with two felonies – possession or use of narcotic drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia – as well as two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence.
If convicted on all counts he could face a maximum sentence of seven-and-a-half years in prison.
*Rapper Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash’s Furious Five has his sights set on becoming a professional wrestler, reports Allhiphop.com.
"I'm going to try and get some of [current WWE champ] John Cena's money and get with the WWE to do my thing," Mel told the Web site. "I went to the wrestling school over the summer and picked up a little bit of moves. I wanted to see if it was something that I wanted to do, other than just dreaming of wanting to be a wrestler.
It's a little rough, but it's something that can be done."
*According to the gossip rags, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has moved on from actress Jessica Biel (who has since been seen with Justin Timberlake) and is now “flirting madly” with actress Gabrielle Union, a source tells New York Post’s Page Six. Both were at Atlantis in the Bahamas for the Michael Jordan Golf Tournament.
“When DJ Cassidy played ‘Put It in Your Mouth’ by Akinyele, Jeter and Union dirty-danced before leaving together,” the paper reports. A rep for Union said, "They are friends, but they did not hook up."
*Sean "Diddy" Combs has partnered with promotion company, Jacob York Presents, to throw a star-studded bash in Miami for Superbowl XLI weekend at dance club Space (34 N.
E. 11th Street). Invited guests include Santana Moss of the Washington Redskins, Will Demps of the New York Giants and Wali Lundy of the Houston Texans.
Titled "Twelve Hours of Diddy," the event is to be held Friday, Feb. 2 from 10 p.m.
until 10 a.m. On Saturday, Feb.
3, Diddy and Oscar-nominated Terrence Howard will host an event at Chakra Lounge (1501 Collins Ave. Miami Beach), the most expensive club ever built in South Beach. If you want to party at either event, VIP tables, the Private Skybox, the VIP Suite/Martini Bar and the VIP Mezzanine can all be reserved at 866-476-0880.
For more information visit: .
*Stedman Graham, John Salley, Vivica A. Fox and Chris Webber are set for “Hoop Magic Celebrity All Star Weekend,” to take place Feb.
16-18 at The Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The event will also honor veteran entertainment broadcaster Donnie Simpson and Dr. Sheila Johnson, managing partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and former co-owner of BET Networks.
“Hoop Magic’s primary goal is to create events with a purpose to impact urban youth and their communities,” said Clint Evans, President of The Clinton Group, a managing partner of Hoop Magic. The events are free and open to the public, with the exclusion of the private tribute event honoring Simpson on Friday Feb. 16.
Proceeds from the event will “benefit several charities.” For more information, please visit .
*Queen Latifah is holding an open-casting call in New York to find a new face to appear in an ad for the CoverGirl Queen Collection.
All women of color ages 18-48 are invited to try out on Monday, Jan. 29, from 11 a.m.
to 4 p.m. at BB King Blues Club Grill (237 West 42nd St.
(between 7th and 8th Avenues). Contestants must be prepared to explain how they have achieved both inner and outer beauty. Latifah will be among the judges in attendance.
JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS: The Price of Good Intentions *In her book Open Wide the Freedom Gates, Dorothy Height, one of the doyennes of the civil rights movements of the 50's and 60's, describes a meeting wherein women of the Mississippi delta talked openly about the effects of certain federal programs on their lives. Discussing the minimum wage, one woman is quoted as saying, "When minimum wage came in, our hours were shortened.
So now instead of more adequate pay, we do double the work in half the time." It is noteworthy that this meeting was not sponsored by a republican club, but the National Council of Negro Women and was moderated by Fannie Lou Hamer, another elder of the movement. Neither was the woman quoted some ivory tower intellectual or partisan gun slinger.
She was one of the real-life people actually affected by minimum wage laws as opposed to so many of us that merely talk about such things in the abstract. In very plain language, the woman in Height's story gives testimony that economic laws remain true, and their effect on the lives of people are real regardless of the pronouncements of politicians.
Amidst promises to lift legions of low wage workers out of poverty, the 110th Congress recently passed an increase in the minimum wage, a bill the president has indicated he will sign providing there are protections for business owners included in the legislation.
Let us put aside for the moment the fact that the overwhelming majority of minimum wage earners do not live in poverty, do not raise families on their salaries and do not work full-time. As the Mississippi woman's story attests, a minimum wage increase is more likely to actually harm those it is intended to help. We may wish it differently, but the laws of economics, which are neither cruel nor kind, say differently.
Federal and state governments are perfectly able to set the price of labor. They are, however, unable to change the VALUE of labor and business owners, like all consumers, seek value for their money. As Height's story demonstrates, a job whose real value has been overpriced by minimum wage laws will be eliminated, performed by those pricing their services appropriately or absorbed by other workers who must now justify their increase in wage with an increase in productivity.
It is ironic that this nugget of Mississippi delta wisdom now seems lost on a generation of Blacks that now demands minimum and living wage laws that invariably end up locking low skilled workers i.e. young black men out of work.
If past is prologue, sometime in March a major newspaper will publish a report describing the deepening plight of young Black men. The story will detail a list of afflictions including incarceration rates, lack of education and employment. What the story will not discuss is the impact minimum wage laws have on Black unemployment rates or how Black men on the margins are now in competition for low skilled jobs with illegal labor that is not burdened by federal or state wage laws.
In 1954, the unemployment rate for both black and white teenagers was 14 percent. In the decades that followed, the minimum wage increased sharply and the Black teen unemployment rate followed suit. After a brief dip in the 1980's, the Black teen unemployment rate currently stands at 42 percent.
Congressmen will continue to make impassioned speeches about how raising the minimum wage will be the hand that lifts the poor from destitution. More than likely, it will mean continued unemployment for black men living on the margins, fewer prospects for entry level employment and a hobbling of the opportunity to build job skills and an employment record that will lead to better paying jobs in the future. It will mean men marginally educated with few or no skills resort to the street hustle to make ends meet and end up in That is the more realistic result of minimum wage increases.
None of us wishes it so, but as an anonymous Mississippi woman made plain in 1965, there are real life consequences to all our good intentions.
ASK ADVICE CHICK: Answers to YOUR Dating, Sex, Life, Love Questions! *I went out to the bar with my friend and her sis's boyfriend.
He and I ended up being very passionate and having sex. He was so sweet and he stayed the next day until supper time. I was wondering, was I sleazy?
It's been three days and I've not heard from him. I feel gross and evil. He ain't coming back, is he?
Yes you were sleazy. You told me this guy is your friend’s sister’s boyfriend – meaning he is unavailable. Passionate sex is still “just a sex act” when you lay down with someone who is committed to someone else.
Tell me, if you hear from him, what do you really expect him to say? Do you honestly think he wants to leave his girl for you? Plus, IF he did leave his girl for you, do you not know he is a CHEATER?
Meaning, he cheated on her with you; the odds are extremely high that he will cheat on you with another clucka if you were his girl.
Sex. A Sandwich.
Silence. Thousands of guys told me that they want sex, a sandwich, and silence from women. You gave ole boy sex, and supper – so please shut the fcuk up and accept your behavior for what it was – a one night stand.
-- The Valentines Day surprise offer wasn’t up to par, so I declined the service. Sorry guys.
-- Send YOUR questions to Advice Chick right NOW!
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Ask Advice Chick about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING related to dating, sex, love, and life! Kimberly Williams (THE resident dating expert at EURweb.
com) calls on over 11 years of dating and relationship industry experience.
*This week, in Cannes, France, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFIP) got together for their yearly meeting. In their coverage of the meetings, Reuters reported that the music industry, for the seventh straight year is reporting declining sales despite the fact that sales of digital music in 2006 doubled to almost $2 billion.
Industry critics, particularly critics of the industry's major players, cite a [misguided] focus of fighting piracy as key factor in the anemic growth of the music industry at a time when the demand for music is as high as ever.
Think about that – music is as popular as it ever was, digital music sales doubled, yet the industry is reporting declining sales for the SEVENTH straight year. I really don't think it takes a Wharton MBA to figure out that the key to growth in the music industry is unlocking the potential of digital music sales.
To give you an idea of what that potential is, Todd Thibodeaux, Sr Vice President of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reported at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, that MP3 player sales in 2006 accounted for 90 percent of the $6 billion in sales of portable music players with 30 million units shipped. Thibodeaux projected that in 2007 this will increase to 41 million MP3 players shipped.
If we assume, for the sake of argument, that the average portable audio device sold has 1GB storage capacity.
At about 5MB per song, that means a 1GB player can store about 200 songs. If we further assume that the average utilization of an MP3 player is 50%, or 100 songs per player. Also, assuming that of those 100 songs, 60 are purchased legally at an average cost of $0.
50 per track, the total sales comes out to about $1.23 billion. Now, consider that the average price of 30GB audio players will likely drop below $200 this year, so let's increase our average device capacity to 8GB, and the projected numbers jump to $8.
2 billion in projected sales, or about a 400 percent increase over this year's number.
The wild thing is, these numbers could be considerably higher in real life IF the music industry could come up with a workable digital rights management solution. On one side of the debate, are the music industry's equivalent of tree-huggers – who think music should be totally free.
Of course, if you ask these same people to work for nothing, they would give you that “I don't believe you just slapped yo' mama” look. On the other extreme, is where too much of the industry's “conventional” wisdom lies – you know, the DRM nazis who think silently installing a rootkit on their customers' computers (as Sony did in 2005) is a justifiable means to achieve zero piracy
Another problem related to digital rights management is device [in]compatibility. As big as iTunes is, the service would be bigger than life it is were easier to play iTunes songs on devices other than iPods (yes, it's true, not everyone has one).
Similar issues abound with other services as well. Because digital music content is not universally compatible across devices, many customers simply avoid those devices and music purchase sites where such restrictions exist.
The compatibility issue gets even stickier when you start looking at the prospect of what happens as digital music evolves more towards music videos and away from the pure music format.
At the IFIP meetings, Alex Zubillaga, head of digital strategy at WMI said, "We at Warner have put out a series of premium products and we immediately doubled the amount of digital albums that we were selling by just attaching a video, attaching some special lyrics or a photo gallery...
We weren't selling twice as many by selling them for less. We were selling twice as many by selling them for significantly more money."
In all fairness, it would be irresponsible for music companies to not manage digital rights.
However, the industry's pursuit of zero piracy is stunting its growth. The popularity of music is such that the market will never go away, but it could just as easily never come anywhere close to its true potential, which would be just as bad in my book. In the [often heated] debate surrounding digital rights management, there is some middle ground where digital rights can be effectively managed while at the same time preserving consumer's right to enjoy legally purchased content in any manner they please.
If the major players in the music business don't get their collective act together soon, they will miss the forest for the trees and find themselves confronting the enemy they feared when the industry was fighting hard to shut down Napster 1.0 – new competitors.
Russell de Pina is a Principal with n2active, a technology consulting firm located in Houston, TX and Long Beach, CA.
Russell can be reached by email at
*Tanya Stephens is to be featured on a remix of rock group Pepper’s upcoming single Like Your Style. The band which is originally from Hawaii is a favorite among the surf crowd.
Formed in 1999 and signed to Atlantic Records through Volcom Entertainment, Pepper is coming from the same management company, Silverback Management, which had signed Southern California band Sublime a while back.
Sublime has sold more than 10 million records with their reggae influenced rock style. Pepper’s latest album, No Shame, was released in October last year. It has to date sold over 150,000 copies.
It is the band’s fourth album and among those who worked on the set is Tony Kanal, bassist for ska/punk/rock group No Doubt. Like Your Style is the follow up to the band’s latest single No Control. No Control recently peaked at number 19 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The members of the band are eagerly anticipating Stephens’ vocals, and firmly believe that their fan base (who might be unfamiliar with the singer) will subscribe to the song. Greg Nadel A R at Atlantic Records commented "Tanya is the perfect choice for this remix, the band has listened to her music for years, this will be a great look for both parties." VP Records staff member Chris Schlarb who originally approached Tanya with the idea to record the collaboration, said "Pepper is a band on the rise and they have been recording for years.
The group is heavily influenced by reggae, there is no doubt in my mind that Tanya will benefit greatly from this collaboration. The surf crowd is one of the largest untapped fan bases in reggae. The band members are huge fans of reggae, but rarely get to work with artists from Jamaica, let alone to work with an artist as popular as Tanya.
Most artists in dancehall today are interested in working with hip hop, but it takes an artist like Tanya to break the trend and work with an alternative rock band, and this could be a catalyst for a sea change in the music and could set a new trend in crossover potential." A few years ago, another VP Records artiste, Lady Saw recorded the song Underneath it All with rock/punk/ska outfit No Doubt. The song topped Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart and picked up a Grammy award.
Bounty Killer also teamed with No Doubt on the single Hey Baby, a char topping single that also garnered a Grammy win.
Stephens is currently recording her portion of the song Like Your Style. Upon completion, the song should be ready to be serviced to US alternative and rock radio stations by early February.
The Recording Academy recently announced the newest additions to its Grammy Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame serves as a celebration and reminder of the triumphs and achievements of the recording arts. Selections are drawn from all major categories of music, acknowledging the diversity of musical expression for which the Recording Academy has become renowned.
Among the inductees this year are Israelites by Desmond Dekker and the Aces and One Love by Bob Marley the Wailers. Songs by Dolly Parton, Bill Withers, The Clash, the Turtles, Led Zeppelin, the Who, and the Miracles are also on the induction list.
In reggae chart updates this week, Mr.
Vegas has the number one song on the New York Reggae chart with Hot Wuk which features Opal and Hottaball. In Canada, Driver by Buju Banton is the top song. The Traffic Jam by Steven Marley featuring Jr.
Gong and Buju Banton is number one on the BBC 1Xtra Dancehall Chart in the UK. In Germany, Collie Buddz is on top with Come Around. In St.
Lucia, Nobody Nuh Cry by Gyptian on the Vertex label is the new number one song.
Over to the Billboard Hot R B Hip Hop Singles Tracks chart, Mavado’s Weh Dem a Do rebounds from 56 to 50, while Come Around by Collie Buddz burns from 73 to 62. Sean Paul and Rihanna fly from 77 to 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Break it Off.
Meanwhile, thanks to left-field treatment from urban station Hot 97 in New York and a few hip hop stations stateside, Buju Banton’s Driver has begun to bubble under the Billboard Hot R B Hip Hop Singles Tracks chart. If the song enters the main chart, then it will become Banton’s third song to reach the R B chart.
Da’Ville recently performed at Charlie’s Place in Nassau, Bahamas.
Based on reports, the event was well attended and Da’Ville had the ladies screaming in delight to his performance.
Beenie Man and D’Angel shot the video for the single Beenie, last Wednesday at the Asylum nightclub. The clip was directed by Archie with assistance from Asha.
Producer Tony Kelly says he plans to unleash two monster rhythms this year, so music fans should be on the lookout. Incidentally, Kelly produced the hot new single Never Never from Brick and Lace which features Baby Cham.
Champagne Records created a first last week with the Riddim video shoot featuring various dancers and dance groups.
The location was the Burger King parking lot in New Kingston.
Rootz Underground performed in North Carolina last weekend. The show also featured performances from Adam Pitts, Matt Thomas, Brent Jordan and Brad Benson.
This weekend, Rootz Underground will be in action at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay.
And soca stars Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons have reportedly tied the knot.
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