20
Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
M5B 2H5
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
November 8, 2007
Well, I saw snowflakes in downtown Toronto this week - some of you even saw it accumulated on your streets! You can
almost smell it in the air. Winter is almost here.
I'll have exciting news about a Christmas concert next week so stay tuned for
that as it is one not to be missed! You'll love it - trust me! As well
next week, there will be a special CD giveaway so be on alert.
Once again, there is plenty to read below so have a scroll and a read.
::TOP STORIES::
Canadians Tops At MTV Europe
Excerpt
from www.globeandmail.com - Paul Casciato, Reuters
(November 02, 2007) MUNICH — Canadian pop
star Avril Lavigne
stole the thunder from U.S. rival Justin Timberlake by taking two top prizes at
the MTV Europe Music Awards on
Thursday.
The 23-year-old won Most Addictive Track for “Girlfriend” and the coveted Solo
Artist of 2007 category while Timberlake, who dominated the event in 2006 and
was the most nominated artist in 2007, came away empty-handed.
Underlining a good night for Canada, Album of the Year went to Nelly Furtado
for “Loose” which has sold around seven million copies to date.
Britain's Amy Winehouse collected the Artists' Choice award but her live
performance of “Back to Black” at the packed Olympia Halle in Germany will have
done little to allay concerns after drug-related problems.
She accepted her award with a brief “Thanks” before walking off stage. Minutes
later she stumbled through her song with a thin, wailing voice instead of the
rich growl that has won her so many fans.
Winehouse appeared to have trouble remembering the words to her own song, her
dancing was stilted and out of step and she was unsteady on her feet.
By contrast compatriot Pete Doherty, in the headlines for his self-confessed
drug addiction and affair with supermodel Kate Moss, led the Babyshambles in a
haunting rendition of “Delivery”.
Asked what was behind this apparent change, he told Reuters: “Yeah, it's all
different now. I don't know ... God, and melody.”
Munich music fan Ina Rousseau and her friend Ana Jordan particularly liked
Doherty's performance. “He was here. He was singing and not falling down,” said
Jordan, 26.
The Foo Fighters kicked off the show, one of the music industry's biggest
nights outside the United States, with a thrashing medley comprising their new single
“The Pretender.”
They also wove in a short musical homage to the Sex Pistols' classic track “God
Save the Queen.”
Lavigne bounced through a burlesque performance of “Hot” while Mika brought the
crowd to its feet with “Grace Kelly.”
30 Seconds to Mars triumphed in the Rock Out category and Linkin Park took home
the award for Band of 2007.
MTV said over 50 million votes were cast across Europe, with the public
deciding most of the main awards for the first time.
The Video Star prize went to Justice for the second year in a row for
“D.A.N.C.E,” beating out competition from acts including Kanye West.
In Copenhagen last year, the U.S. rap star rushed on stage when Justice beat
out his video and argued forcefully that he should have been awarded the prize.
The 2007 event was hosted by U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg, who appeared in several
costumes during the night, including traditional German lederhosen, a long fur
coat and even a kilt.
There were minor hiccups along the way, including when he got a band's country
of origin wrong. And when he asked Turkish band Yakup how badly they wanted to
play on the stage, one of its members stood up and removed his trousers.
“That's beautiful in your own world,” Snoop Dogg quipped.
Celine Dion: The Legend
Excerpt
from
www.globeandmail.com
- Celia Sankar, Associated Press
(November
05, 2007) MONTE CARLO, MONACO — Canadian singer
Céline Dion and R&B queen Patti LaBelle were honoured at the World Music Awards for their outstanding
careers, while British newcomer Mika took home a clutch of prizes.
Dion, who has sold 200 million albums worldwide, received the highest accolade
— the Legend Award — at the star-studded ceremony in Monaco on Sunday. In
presenting the honour, the tiny principality's Prince Albert said Dion's voice
“soothes the world's hearts and creates smiles of love across the face of the
world.”
Recalling her start as the youngest performer among 14 musical siblings, Dion
dedicated the award to her family.
“Every time I go on stage, it's all of them going on stage with me,” she said
in her acceptance speech in English and French.
Dion then performed “Taking Chances,” the first single from her forthcoming
album of the same name, slated for release later this month.
The 39-year-old diva from Quebec already holds a World Music Awards prize for
the world's best-selling female artist of all time. She won the so-called
Diamond Award in 2004.
Canada's Avril Lavigne received awards for best-selling pop/rock female artist
and best-selling Canadian artist.
The show paid tribute to 63-year-old LaBelle for her enduring contribution to
R&B. LaBelle, whose career stretches back to the 1950s, had the entire
audience, including the Prince, on their feet dancing to a rendition of “Lady
Marmalade.”
“I love this show because it unites the world with music; we need peace in the
world,” LaBelle said.
British pop star Mika was the big winner of the night, capturing awards for
best-selling new artist, best-selling male entertainer, best-selling pop/rock
artist and best-selling British artist. Struck down by laryngitis, he was
unable to sing his runaway debut hit “Grace Kelly,” which makes reference to
Prince Albert's mother, the Hollywood actress who became princess of Monaco
upon her marriage in 1956.
Hip hop artist Akon, who has been riding high on world charts, picked up prizes
for best-selling R&B male artist, best-selling African Artist and
best-selling Internet artist.
“Your are the witnesses to seeing me receive any kind of award for music for
the first time in my life,” the Senegalese-American told the audience,
lamenting having been skipped over for all previous honours for which he has
been in contention.
Pop sensation Rihanna, a native of Barbados, was named entertainer of the year,
as well as best-selling pop female artist.
Also taking the stage and receiving awards were Mexican rock band Mana
(best-selling Latin group), Egyptian singer Amr Diab (best-selling Middle
Eastern artist), Laura Pausini (best-selling Italian artist) and Cascada
(best-selling German artist).
Julian McMahon, star of the U.S. television series “Nip/Tuck,” hosted the
event.
Award winners were named based on worldwide album sales, as certified by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which comprises some
1,400 record companies in 75 countries.
The show was taped and will be broadcast later in 160 countries. It is expected
to reach approximately one billion viewers.
After three years of roaming, the annual show returned to Monte Carlo, where it
had been staged since its creation in 1989. The awards were broadcast live from
Las Vegas in 2004, then moved Los Angeles in 2005 and London in 2006.
Proceeds from a black-tie banquet and auction before the awards are to go
toward building a hospital in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
Kevin L's 'Souled Out' Session
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com -
(November 7, 2007) *You may never have heard of Kevin
L, but get ready for an earful. Kevin L is not only a new artist,
but a new activist. Performing what he calls R&P music - Rap & Praise,
Kevin L is impassioned about spreading his message of empowerment and values.
The Ohio native took some time to talk with EUR's Lee Bailey about two projects
that he's very proud of - his new CD and his work with the non-profit
organization the H13 Project.
“God just gave me an opportunity to live again and to bring a positive
message. He gave me a song called ‘You Got Somebody’ and he gave me a project
called the H13 Project, which is a non-profit organization [that] is making
peace popular,” he said.
Making peace popular is the slogan the 30-something artist said again and
again, explaining that making peace popular is a direct offence against the
violent images of black males in particular that are saturating the media.
“We have a whole nation out there that’s speaking the language of
gangster-ism and thug-ism, and it’s desensitizing murder; it’s desensitizing
the relationship between men and women,” he said. “And it’s making people think
that the real way up out of the ghetto is the dope game with this whole hustle
mentality – and it’s not. What it’s doing is making it that 51% of black males
are in prison.”
The H13 Project is currently campaigning in metropolitan areas with peace
rallies. Kevin and company have partnered with Al Sharpton during a few of his
crusades to get the H13 brand to it’s demographic of young African Americans,
along with other names like Dionne Warwick and publicist/activist Angelo
Ellerbee. The organization’s current objective, Kevin said, is to continue
doing peace rallies; to go into schools and educate and stimulate and send the
message that we have the opportunity to make a better world.
The name of the organization comes from the book of Hebrews, chapter 13 in the
bible, which reads: “Let brotherly love continue, and do not forget to
entertain strangers. For by doing so, some have entertained strangers unaware.”
“In other words, you never know who you’re talking to, so let your first
words be of love. Take this mean-mug look off your face,” Kevin explained.
“All across the country we have met with governors and mayors from DC to
Philadelphia to Minneapolis where we’ve gone in, rolled out our campaign of
making peace popular and showing the kids that we can be successful and that it
matters what we say in our lyrics, and that we can speak up for something
possible.”
Kevin reflected on his own tribulations, speaking from a place that the
youngsters, enthralled with gangster images and gangster rap might understand,
and that’s the premise of his music.
“I’m an uncle to five crack babies. And I’ve had my own bout with
addiction – from alcohol and so forth,” Kevin said. “We’ve been through so much
in our family and now, God had given us a chance to live and to live in a way
that we can utilize our talents.”
The musician isn’t very far from a famous story of tackling adversity with
talent. He is the stepson of legendary singer Ray Charles, who also overcame an
addicti*on.
“God blessed us. God has given us a certain talent to entertain. Many
things that we may have chosen to take for granted, God has found a way for us
both – my sister and I – to preserve within [us] and allowed us to come out and
to bring this type of message to this magnitude,” he said and continued, “And
then to have Ray Charles as a stepfather – growing up around him and my
sister’s music, it just seemed natural that I would sing a little bit.”
His other current project is the promotion of his debut CD “Souled Out.”
“It’s a mixture of hip-hop, R&B, and gospel. The fact [is] that some
of the melodies, if you heard them, you wouldn’t necessarily know that it was a
gospel song unless you heard the lyrical content.”
He described the disc as something that could work well in church, but that the
album isn’t really for preaching to the choir.
“This is for the streets. This is for the people that aren’t in the
church. We’re coming beyond the walls of the church. It’s a real sound from one
man that survived to bring a message like this. God didn’t let me live for no
reason. He wanted me to deliver the message,” he said.
Kevin called some of the lyrics “aggressive, but real.” In addition to
spreading the Word, the messages in the songs focus on how black images
bombarding the youth glamorize violence and the street and gangster mentality.
“[It] sets a tone of what’s hot,” he said, “but all we’re saying is, ‘That
ain’t hot anymore, to the tune of 51% of us going to prison. We’re creating
images by utilizing people that you normally wouldn’t see in a gospel setting
and we’re using music that you normally wouldn’t hear in a [street] setting.”
For more on Kevin L and his “R&P” disc on BK Music, check out www.souledoutcd.com.
For more on the H13 Project, go to www.h13project.com.
N.Y. Punk Pioneer Beaten To Death
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Associated
Press
(November 01, 2007) NEW YORK – Linda Stein, a
pioneer in New York's punk music scene who later became known as a real estate
"broker to the stars," was beaten to death inside her Manhattan
apartment, the medical examiner ruled.
Stein's daughter found her body Tuesday night face down in the living room of
the Upper East Side apartment, where she lived alone. There were no signs of a
break-in or robbery, and police said they had no motive or suspects.
An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck, medical
examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said Wednesday.
Stein was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, former president of Sire Records, which
was the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna.
A former schoolteacher, she and Danny Fields co-managed the Ramones during the
band's heyday. She is credited with bringing the Ramones to England for their
infamous July 4, 1976, concert that helped spark the young British punk scene.
Reached Wednesday by telephone, Fields said Stein had the right temperament for
the rough and raunchy world of punk.
"She was very tough, but very loving and generous," he said.
Friends and family were stunned by the news she was a victim of violence,
Fields said.
"It was enough dealing with her death," he said. "Now it's a
murder.''
After Stein and Fields parted ways with the Ramones in 1980, she eventually
launched a real estate career brokering multimillion-dollar Manhattan
apartments for rock 'n' roll royalty, including Sting and Billy Joel.
Aside from real estate, "her great joy in life was her first
grandchild," a 3-year-old girl, Fields said.
Stein was asked in an interview earlier this year whether managing the Ramones
or selling real estate was harder.
"Real estate," she responded. "Firstly, if you manage a band,
every time you hear an encore, every time the audience increases, every time
your radio increases, it's an upper. With real estate, the only upper is how
much you don't owe to Uncle Sam on the check you're getting. There is no high
except the money, which is extremely taxable.''
::MUSIC NEWS::
Ex Boy-Band Brothers Back As Duo RyanDan
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - John
Terauds, Music Critic
(November 06, 2007) If Ryan
and Dan Kowarsky
needed proof that they have grown up as performing artists, it couldn't have
come from a more unlikely place.
Not too many years ago, the identical-twin brothers were being mobbed by
teenage girls. Now, a month shy of their 28th birthday, they can lay claim to
one of the oldest fans on the globe.
"We got this package from a 93-year-old lady," says Ryan during an
interview yesterday.
"Inside was this set of false teeth," continues Dan.
Ryan picks up the thread: "There was this note inside that said `I love
your music so much that you have to have my teeth.'"
Adds Dan: "There was a picture in the package, too, showing this old lady
smiling – with no top teeth."
The boys make faces at the memory. The looks are similar to their mock-horror
when reminded of their days as two of the three members of boy-band b4-4. It
exploded onto the pop charts in the summer of 1999 and died of boy-band fatigue
in 2004. Back then, Ryan and Dan (with fellow vocalist Ohad Einbinder) sported
spiky blond hair.
Ryan blushes. "You know, I look at the pictures from that time and think,
oh man." He shakes his head.
They've done a lot of growing up.
After their boy-band days, Ryan and Dan returned home to Toronto, where their
lawyer father had retired as the head cantor at Beth Tzedek synagogue and been
appointed a justice of the peace.
"Our mother had just been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease,"
relates Ryan. "We decided that we had to give her something special,"
continues Dan. "So we decided to record a song."
They chose "The Prayer," a David Foster song that's one of the 13
tracks on RyanDan, their debut album. The adult-contemporary pop
compilation hits stores today.
"That song changed everything for us," says Dan. "After we
recorded it, we knew what we wanted to do with our life."
They went to England to work with producer Steve Anderson. After recording 50
songs with a 60-piece orchestra, they picked 12 (plus a bonus track) and made
their U.K. debut a few weeks ago.
They're now near the top of the British pop charts. Since the record went
global, they have sung as far away as the Sydney Opera House.
"We're just trying to make the most of it," adds Dan. He says it feels
good to back in Toronto, even just for a day or two. But the twins promise to
return in the new year for their first live Canadian concert – with or without
gifts of teeth.
Will Downing: 'After Tonight,' Accolades
Tomorrow
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
-
November 5, 2007) *For two
decades, Grammy-nominated singer
Will Downing has been sharing his voice with fans of solid
R&B.
Downing is a master at smooth, jazzy, bluesy combination of genres that have
impressively surfed the charts his entire career. The passion the singer puts
into his music is a testament to his life attitude.
Just under a year ago, Downing was diagnosed with a muscle debilitating disease
called Polymyositis, where he struggled to stand or even raise his arms.
All that withstanding, Downing still continued working on and completed his
latest album called “After Tonight,” released October 30th on Peak Records.
“I’m getting a lot better,” he told EUR’s Lee Bailey recently, discussing how
the disease just came out of the clear blue.
Polymyositis affects more than 50,000 people. It’s basically an inflammation of
several muscles at once and the cause is unknown. Fortunately, as Downing
confirmed, people who suffer from Polymyositis can recover, but the important
thing is to recognize the signs and prevent the disease.
“Being a hard-headed black male, I didn’t look at it for what it was. I was
trying to find every excuse of what it could be. I should’ve gone to the doctor,
but I was doing self-diagnosis,” Downing said.
He recalled that he’d seen the early signs of the disease when he suffered from
constant fatigue. However, he would blame his tiredness on not getting enough
sleep, working too hard, or his hectic tour and travel schedule.
“I’d be on stage and I’d be dog-tired performing. I was making excuses every
night,” he said.
Downing even described a moment when he was traveling and he couldn’t even put
his computer in the overhead bin because he could not lift it above his head.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back for the singer happened one night
when he was out with his family. Downing said that he thought he’d drop his
wife and daughter off and then find a park, but he didn’t get very far.
“I couldn’t turn the steering wheel. I didn’t have enough strength to
turn the steering wheel to park my car,” he said.
That scared him enough to finally seek medical help, and once he went into the
doctor’s office, he was taken straight to the hospital and stayed there for
three months.
“It takes everything you’ve got and reduces it to nothing. You can’t walk, you
can’t move your arms, you can’t do anything. You become totally dependent upon
everyone. You can’t comb your hair, brush your teeth – you are totally dependent,”
Downing described. “Like most folk in this condition, the first thing you do is
ask, ‘Why me?’ Folks blame God and curse at him, as I did. Then you realize you
have two options: You can give up or you can fight back. So that’s what you do;
fight back.”
Now, Downing said he’s doing just fine although he is still confined to a
wheelchair. But while that is a feat in itself, the fact that he worked on his
highly impressive new disc while dealing with the disease is even more amazing.
“I did most of the vocals from a wheelchair or a hospital bed,” Downing said.
“I’d finished four songs before this happened. Hardest thing I’ve ever done in
my life. Two days after I finished the record, my voice started deteriorating.”
You wouldn’t know by listening to it, as critics and fans have already showered
the new project with praise.
“My main objective is to put out good music,” Downing said. “I hate when people
say, ‘I put this record on, but I skipped over this [song].’ I just wish to put
out a consistent album and I guess I can attribute that to the longevity aspect
of it. You pretty much know what you’re going to get when you buy one of my
records.”
The record, as phenomenal as it’s been called, was reshaped during the
recording process. After all, the issues Downing was dealing with at the time
certainly warrant some new developments. The singer admitted that there were
changes in the concept, ideas, and tone of the album, but said that he was
careful not to saturate the disc with his emotive circumstances.
“Lyrically it changed, and in content it changed. Initially we were trying to
set up a story, but things turned around when I got sick and songs like ‘God Is
So Amazing’ weaved their way into it,” he said. “But I didn’t want it to be too
preachy. I wanted to stay away from telling people, ‘Listen to my story. Woe is
me.’ So we put together what we think are some great songs.”
“After Tonight” is in stores now. For more on the disc, Downing, and his return
to touring, expected Summer 2008, check out www.willdowning.com
or http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/PKD-30221/.
“I’m doing fine,” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot of rehab and I’ve been working
my way back. Fortunately with this disease, you can reasonably get back some
sort of normal lifestyle, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Rhodes Scholar Rapper's Choice Is Sanity
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Ricardo
Hazell
(November 6, 2007) *Upon meeting Antonio
Delgado
and talking to him one would think that he's just your run of the mill Oxford
and Harvard Law School graduate.
But when he gets into his alter ego mode we come to witness the phenomenon that
is AD the Voice.
We had no idea who this guy was at first, but after interviewing this young man
with a vision, our Lee Bailey was glad he took the time out to speak with
AD.
First things first though, a Harvard educated, Rhodes Scholar rapper? We
don't know how they'll go about marketing that.
"I graduated from Colgate with a degree in Philosophy and Political
Science," Delgado said. "Colgate isn't technically an Ivy
League school, but it is a school held in very high regard on the East Coast. I
ended up going to Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. After that I
returned to the states and studied law at Harvard."
We appreciate him explaining the ins and outs of his involvement with those
great institutions, but the question remains ... a rapper? AD didn't blink when
he said his educational background actually prepared him for his career as a
rapper rather than vice versa.
"I would say it has prepared me. I didn't go to these institutions with
the idea that I was going to become a rapper. I found myself in this position
after I had acquired enough information about the world we live in, and of
Hip-Hop, to say 'You know what? I can offer a different narrative.'
With the passion that I have for this music and this culture, why can't I just
take the two worlds and meld them together. For me, who and what I am is very
much Hip-Hop."
A different narrative indeed. As they say, variety is the spice of
life. But a quick survey of recent rap releases and one would think the
music industry didn't get that particular memo. Be that as it may, AD the
Voice feels it's his time. His background and education should have
nothing to do with his message.
"I am me," he continued. "I'm a brother that's passionate
about what I believe in. Passion and true commitment to who you are
really transcends where you're from and what you've experienced and class and
so forth. I know a lot of cats in the hood that I could look at and see they're
fake. There's also cats that grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths, but
are the realest of the real. It's just a matter of how you're coming at me. If
I look at you as a man, no matter what you say, if I see you're not about
something that's purposeful I'm going to move on. So, what I'm hoping is
that when cats hear me they could look past my credentials. Or past the fact
that I've never been shot or haven't been to jail. Whatever you think, just
hear me. Feel that passion that I'm coming with and you can't tell me
that you won't feel something on some fundamentally human level."
His goals are high-minded to say the least. The demographic that needs to hear
his message of positivity the most may be the demographic that's least likely
to pick up his album. But Delgado tells EURweb he is not worried.
The majority of Hip-Hop's history has been positive and he has that positive,
revolutionary history on his side.
"The demo that I'm going for is not about age, not about race. It's
anybody who wants to feel empowered. Who wants to hear music that speaks
to their soul with a message that hasn't been heard for some time. I know it's
hard to associate that with Hip-Hop given what is heard on the radio
today. But, you see, you can't look at Hip-Hop as it is today. You have
to extend that lens back through the past to Hip-Hop's origins. Where it came
from and what it came out of. You can't come out of that place, the South
Bronx, and be where you are today if you don't have a warrior's spirit.
You can't come up out of that if you're not spitting something other than what
you're wearing, what you're riding on. You had to have really stood for
something.
"Hip-Hop came from complete rejection and marginalization," Delgado
reasoned. "We were told to sit down, shut up and just disappear.
Reaganomics? That whole era? That's what Hip-Hop grew out of. Now look where it
is? So, if you know of that type of history and the power we have inside
of us then you're going feel that history and power when I rhyme."
A man with a plan for positive change is what AD the Voice is, but what good is
a plan if no one is following the blueprint?
"This is something that I struggle with everyday. I'm not going to
sit and lie to myself given the current climate today. I just feel it's a
matter of faith and a matter of struggle and perseverance. We're in a
period of time where people are starving (for this). You can only go so
low. There's has to be a point where you hit rock bottom and you've gotta
start coming back up."
People can only go so low. A rather depressing sentence when one takes into
consideration the fact that no one knows where the bottom of Hip-Hop's
gangster-cultural barrel lies. But AD has faith in the positive that lies
in the hearts of the people rather than fear for the rap's current lowest
common denominator mentality.
"They've been kind of force fed music by the label heads. The label
heads don't want to take chances with (positive) music and they know that what
sells is the stereotype. It's a proven commodity so they just keep
feeding it to us. But I think, after a while, people are going to stop
buying this. And, given where we are politically, with the elections coming up,
I've just got a feeling that the tone of the culture in this country is going
to shift. There's going to be a little bit more of a serious tone to what
we're talking about whether it's on the radio stations or on the Internet. I
think there's going to be a slow shift, and it might not last that long, but I
believe it'll be long enough for someone like me to get in there."
For the a lot of people's sake and the moral sanity of our children we hope
he's right. Meanwhile, while we wait for Hip-Hop's long awaited political
and social reawakening, there are alternatives. Like AD the Voice's new
release "Painfully Free," released on his co-owned imprint: Statik
Records.
Need more information? Well, you know the brother's got a myspace page, right?
Hit him up at www.myspace.com/adthevoice. He's definitely
worth a listen, for rap sanity's sake.
Common: Infinite Possibilities
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - Raegan L.
Burden, The Robertson Treatment: Volume 10, Edition 17
(November 1, 2007) Common.
Simply mention this name
in the midst of true hip-hop connoisseurs, and no further explanation is
needed. Even so, Hollywood is just now discovering what we've known for
some time - the brother is just naturally gifted! In fact, 2007 has been
an exceptional year for his diverse talents.
He made his feature film debut in Smokin' Aces, released his seventh CD,
Finding Forever, (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts), and recently
announced the launch of his philanthropic outlet, the Common Ground
Foundation.
With this, his latest role in American Gangster, Common is poised for even more
spotlight.
Were I profiling another artist in his coveted position, I might expect to
encounter some level of haughty, self-importance. However, on this rainy,
overcast Friday afternoon in New York City - just hours away from the movie's
premiere at the Apollo Theatre - no conceit is present.
It is quite the opposite! As he casually sits in a Manhattan hotel suite,
we both quietly take in the skyline view of the city. A sight so
breathtaking, not even fog can damper it. Yet, as I watch him smile,
laugh, and listen to his pensive words, I observe a man humbled by the journey
his artistry has taken him on.
An unpretentious soul, he is confident that opportunities will meet him as he
continues the work of self-discovery.
Q: The first thing I want to know is how you were introduced to
this particular role?
A: My agent sent me the script and I was like "Man, this is a
movie with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe? Aw man, I got to be in
this!" And after I read it, I was like, "This movie is really
good!" Then, they told me Ridley Scott was going to direct it and I
said - "Man, I got to be in it!" And I knew all the actors they
were trying to go out for…going for the best, the cream of the crop. And
they achieved that. They got Ruby Dee in it, Chiwetel (Ejiofor), Idris
(Elba), Cuba (Gooding, Jr.)…just Denzel and Russell Crowe was enough for
me! All of that just made it worthwhile, and made me really hungry to do
it.
Q: I found your character, Turner Lucas, to be quite
complex. He's all at once a dad (to Stevie Lucas - T.I.'s character), a
brother (to Frank Lucas), a son, and on the opposite side of the law. Did
that complexity attract you?
A: Well, I didn't get into that until I was given the role - I really
just wanted to be in the movie! (laughter)
Q: Oh, so you could've been a newspaper boy and said - 'alright'!
A: Well, I wasn't going to play myself! (laughter) You know,
I tried out for two other roles in this movie.
Q: Really? Which two?
A: I tried out for Tango, Idris Elba's character. Then, I
tried out for Nate, the cousin in the army (played by Roger Smith), but I was
too young for that role. I was just blessed to land the role that I
did. And I was grateful…I knew it going to be a lesson. Just
to be on the set with Denzel and to be taking direction from Ridley Scott, and
the cast and crew. It was a blessing.
Q: Are you happy with the role you were offered, as opposed to
the other two?
A: Yeah, I am. I feel like everything happened the way it was
supposed to. And even though I didn't have as much dialogue, I was around
to absorb what I needed to.
Q: You know, this is my favourite type of film - because there's
no way to talk about Frank in one dimension. You can't just make him the
villain, and you just can't make him the saint. In reality, nobody
is. So what kinds of messages, do you think, are being
communicated? I believe that every film does that in its own way.
A: I think what you just expressed is one of the truest things…and
one of things I believe is most attractive about this movie. That's what
makes it so realistic. Because a saint isn't only a saint, and a drug
dealer is not only a drug dealer. You may just deal drugs, but you may be
working and taking care of your family, doing things like going to church like
Denzel's character Frank Lucas was, and giving back to the community.
There isn't just one dimension to anybody. We have good elements of us
and bad elements - everybody. It wasn't just black or white - it was like
man, we just people! Even the most powerful monk is still a work in progress,
and so is the biggest murderer.
Q. As it pertains to the movie, do you think that Frank should be
revered or reviled? I found people on both sides of the fence.
A. To be honest, I think you could feel both for him. I think
he could be revered in a way that his life is an example. The way he's
able to tell his story, he wants to better people. The fact that he
offered his story is not for self-glory. He's giving this example so
people can learn from it. I think he should be more revered than reviled.
Him just telling this story, now, after living through it, is a sign that he
was trying to do some good.
Q. Did you always know you were full of these artistic gifts, or
was it "one gift leads to another." Meaning, as you discovered
one level of yourself, you found that you embodied more talents that could be
expressed and transitioned into another forum?
A. Yeah, I think it was more discovering the gifts. I grew up
wanting to play basketball, and then I got into music and then it was…a
discovery that my writing was good, and then I just kept fulfilling it!
Then I discovered that I could act and wanted to act, and strived to be a good
actor. Really be the character, to become someone else - and not be
Common or Rashid. So it was a discovery. And, I'm looking to
discover new things. To me, that's what life is about - learning and
teaching.
Q. Since most people know you from the music end, do you find
acting to be another viable way for you to express yourself, as you mature?
A. It's definitely a beautiful way for me to express myself…in a way
that I really love and feel passionate about. And it's another way to be
an artist. Another way to expand and see myself infinitely. With
acting, you can take on roles until you're 75! And as a musician, I want
to be able to be around until I'm 75!
Q. You've had an incredible year. How are you able to
balance "Common the businessman" from "Common the
man"? Because they are two separate people.
A. Well, I have to take the "man" into every piece of
business that I do. I have to be able to be myself even when I'm doing
business. It's been a hard battle as far as what you say, "Common
the man," getting to do leisurely things. I like to go to the movies
and bowling. I like spending time with my daughter. And, I like
going to the beach! (laughter, smiles). However, I don't have as much
time to do that. But, I like working too. So I've been feeding that
(work) side of me, and I will make the time to relax and just go to the beach!
Q. My last question - with the Common Ground Foundation, you've
gathered some of the most spirited educators, community leaders, and
philanthropists. People from Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West to Harry
Belafonte. What is your major goal with this new endeavour?
A. Activism. I hope to gain the minds and the experiences
of the youth, so I can provide ways to help them better themselves. I
want to get their attention and give them resources…so they can go out and
build their families, build their communities, and make the world better.
I'm hoping to gain their attention more than anything. Because, I'm not
doing this for selfish reasons. I really care about these kids out
here; I care about people out here. That's what it's all about.
Yes, Common. I think many of us would agree - the possibilities are
indeed endless.
Guitar
God, Mortal Man
Excerpt
from www.thestar.com
-
Clapton: The Autobiography
by Eric Clapton
Broadway, 343 pages, $34
(November 04, 2007) It's about time that
"God" wrote his own
biography.
With a reported $6.4 million incentive to write it, the life story of rock
guitarist Eric Clapton is packed with all the elements that demand Hollywood
studio attention: Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, drink, addiction, scandal,
recovery, tragedy, adversity, triumph and a legendary love triangle.
Clapton accounts for his 62 years on this planet, warts and all, with
unreserved candour. Considering that the co-founder of such seminal bands as
Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & The Dominos – plus his own solo success with
such hits as "I Shot the Sheriff," "Tears in Heaven,"
"Lay Down Sally" and "Bad Love" – has previously remained
staunchly private throughout his 40-year-plus career, this is no small
development.
How private has Clapton been? When he ended his dalliance with fellow rocker
Sheryl Crow – one that he curiously doesn't address in Clapton: The
Autobiography –the two issued a joint release announcing the separation to
a public that was unaware they'd begun one in the first place.
Clapton lets it all hang out by the fourth paragraph, when he discovers his
illegitimacy: "One day I heard one of my aunties ask, `Have you heard from
his mum?' and the truth dawned on me, that when Uncle Adrian jokingly called me
a little bastard, he was telling the truth."
At 7, Clapton discovered that the people he thought were his parents were
actually his grandparents; his brother was his uncle and his sister Pat – who
left the home when Eric was 2 – was actually his mother. She had become
pregnant in 1944 at the age of 15 through an affair with a Canadian airman,
secretly giving birth to a son in a back room of the house.
Clapton says this discovery "traumatized" his young self and led to a
life plagued by insecurity and guilt. An incident at school when he was 9 also
clouded his sexual future.
"From that point on I tended to associate sex with punishment, shame and
embarrassment, feelings that coloured my sexual life for years."
Then, that same year, his mother came back into his life – married to another
Canadian soldier and towing two more children – and flatly rejected him again,
further crushing the poor kid's soul.
Clapton found childhood escapes in sketching, fishing and eventually music. His
"thunderbolt" awakening occurred when he heard Chuck Berry's
"Memphis Tennessee" and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee's
"Whooping and Hollering."
By the time he reached 16, Clapton writes, he was "quite proficient as a
player," learning the fingerpicking techniques of Delta blues legends Big
Bill Broonzy and Jimmy Reed.
By 1963, Clapton was a member of the Yardbirds and touring the world. He jumped
ship to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he awed audiences with his
greased lightning fingers. "Clapton is God" graffiti began sprouting
up around London.
After the Bluesbreakers came super groups Cream and Blind Faith, a short-term
supporting role with Delaney and Bonnie, then Derek & the Dominos, each one
further entrenching Clapton with the stature of a rock and guitar icon. With
the accolades came the spoils: Money, fame and high-profile affairs with
singers and models.
But no female captivated Clapton so completely as Pattie Boyd, who was married
to Beatle George Harrison, one of his best pals.
"I had never met a woman who was so complete, and I was overwhelmed,"
confessed Clapton. It would be six years before Boyd, who inspired her men to
write such anthems as "Something" (Harrison) and "Layla,"
"Bell-Bottom Blues" and "Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton),
agreed to divorce Harrison and marry Clapton.
The book also meticulously covers Clapton's addictions to heroin and alcohol –
he blames booze for the obliteration of his marriage to Boyd – and his
recovery, plus a few tragedies including the painful loss of his 4-year-old son
Conor, for whom he wrote "Tears In Heaven."
Today Clapton is clean, sober and a father of four –including three children
with his third and current wife, Melia. He's put his demons behind him at last.
Nick Krewen is a Toronto writer and editor.
CBC Radio Chief Quits, Citing ‘Midlife
Redesign'
Excerpt
from www.globeandmail.com
- Guy Dixon
(November 03, 2007) In a surprise move, the
head of CBC English radio, who championed the public broadcaster's re-emphasis
on regional and local news, announced she is retiring after five years.
A major force in Canadian radio, Jane
Chalmers said Friday she is simply tired and felt
it was time for her to leave the hectic job. In a note to CBC staff, she called
her decision a “major midlife redesign,” prompted by the recent deaths of her
mother, an aunt and a close fellow executive at CBC Radio.
She is also the first of the top executives in charge of radio and TV during
the 2005 lockout to leave. Insiders typically painted her as the most
sympathetic manager in the upper echelon during the labour dispute and one who
felt the clash took a heavy personal toll.
“The job has always come first, and then you start doing some reflection about
what does your own life mean and about your own priorities,” Ms. Chalmers, 53,
said in an interview Friday. “I've had a great run at the CBC. I love the CBC.
Radio is doing very well, but I personally need more balance and a re-look at my
life.”
She will continue in her position until the end of December. She is leaving her
position at a time when CBC English radio is widely seen as the one of the
broadcaster's strongest pillars. As CBC president Robert Rabinovitch noted in a
staff message Friday, Radio One's morning shows are in the top three in most
local markets, and audience shares are reaching record levels.
However, Radio Two is still settling into a major overhaul of its programming,
and the broadcaster remains in the throes of a wholesale return to local news
throughout all its divisions. Ms. Chalmers is widely credited by industry
insiders as being a major force back into local programming.
The Sadies' Homecoming Season
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Greg
Quill, Entertainment Columnist
(November 01, 2007) "From (The Mekons') Jon Langford I
learned: Get the money and don't leave anything behind," Dallas Good of The Sadies says, yawning into his tea.
It's nearly 6 o'clock on a dull and rainy October afternoon. He's hunched over
a cup in the back room of Alternative Grounds, an aromatic, rustic coffee house
in Toronto's west end, just around the corner from his apartment. He hasn't
been home for a couple of months. His long black forelocks roll across his eyes
and a two-day fuzz crowds his jowls. Good is fighting off the sleep he has held
at bay for 5,000 rugged van kilometres, from San Francisco to Vancouver and
across the mountains and plains to Winnipeg.
This is a rare gigless day in a relentless performance schedule that has earned
The Sadies big points as one of the hardest working bands in the business.
They've been promoting their new studio album, New Seasons, and their
latest evolution in sound.
Dallas Good and his guitar-thrashing brother Travis and their long-time musical
compadres, drummer Mike Belitsky and stand-up bassist Sean Dean, will be
whipping up their distinctive brand of cinematic cowpunk and psychedelic surfer
country rock for Toronto devotees again soon enough – at Lee's Palace tomorrow
and The Horseshoe Saturday.
For now, Dallas Good's mind is still on the road as he recounts the lessons
learned from numerous artists he and the band have performed with and admired
over the past 10 or 12 years.
"From Neko Case I learned to be patient, to come to terms with the waiting
process," he mutters. "Ronnie Hawkins taught me the big time's just
around the corner. From my mother and father I learned never to break two laws
at one time ... " There are other lessons he has learned, he says,
particularly about the process that yielded The Sadies' fourth studio album, New
Seasons, released earlier this month in the U.S. on the Yep Roc label, and
in Canada by Outside Music. Produced in Spain and Blue Rodeo's Danforth Ave.
studio by Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, the album provides evidence of
substantial growth in songwriting, confidence, singing and production
techniques.
While the characteristic swirling guitar twang and grind are still at the core
– along with Belitsky's powerful drumming and the visceral thwack of Dean's
fingers on the slap bass's spine – there are more complete songs on this Sadies
effort than instrumentals, and a lot more vocal harmony work, thanks to
Louris's insistence that the brothers Good step up to the microphone instead of
working their peculiar magic back in the line on their trademark Gretsch
Tennessean and Fender Telecaster guitars.
"I'd be the last person on Earth to know if this is progress," Dallas
says. "Everything we do sounds good to me. We do what we do ... I leave it
up to others to put it in perspective."
He does concede that over the past two years, while the band wrote and recorded
the instrumental soundtrack for Canadian documentary-maker Ron Mann's Tales
Of The Rat Fink (the wildly inventive biography of Ed "Big Daddy"
Roth, who made an impact on mid-20th century culture with his customized cars,
"monster" T-shirts and an animated rodent), and then recorded and
mixed their In Concert Volume 1 album, "we've been behind the
console a lot more, instead of in front of the microphone."
"We've moved from documentation to experimentation. Our sound hasn't
changed, but the process has. We've been doing this for 10 years – I'd like to
think we've picked up a few tricks."
Earlier in the day, drummer Belitsky had shared that The Sadies are stepping up
their Canadian schedule now that they have a way of reaching home audiences
with their recordings, previously available only as imports.
However, while the quartet has developed its own distinct culture after 10
years on the road, their musical tastes vary wildly, he says.
"We never listen to music together ... we travel with iPods, because it's
no use inflicting MC5 on someone who's in a George Jones mood, or Johnny Cash
if someone else wants The Nuggets."
Belitsky's own primal influences are 1960s and '70s California country rockers
The Byrds, Gram Parsons, The Dillards and Gene Clark ... "and psychedelia
and punk – that's what we all have in common. It was the easiest music to play
when we were starting out."
New Seasons is a long way from where The Sadies began, but even Belitsky
is hard-pressed to define how The Sadies have evolved over the years.
"We've never tried to come up with a new sound. I think that's just about
impossible – everything's been done, everything sounds like something else if
you take it apart. That's never been our concern.
"But if there's something different about New Seasons, I think that
it's because this is a much more collaborative effort. We all worked on these
songs before and during the recording, and everyone in the band had a hand in
shaping the songs – Gary Louris as well."
For his part, Dallas, an avid collector of vintage country and rock 'n' roll
vinyl, noticed a change in productivity "when we dropped bourbon from our
rider."
"There's a comfort level now we've never had in the past, a sense that the
struggle is not in vain.
"We live in a rolling cage. It's been that way for 10 years. We enjoy each
other's company. We enjoy the music we make. We respect each other's space. I
guess that's all you can ask for."
South
Asia's Bono Comes To Town
Excerpt
from www.thestar.com
- Staff Reporter
(November 02, 2007) When Salman Ahmad – a.k.a. the Bono of
South Asia – performs at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo next month,
it will be the zenith of his life's work, combining music with a social message
and humanitarian efforts.
So how does a kid, born in Lahore, Pakistan, raised in New York, become
arguably the world's most successful Muslim rock musician?
"Actually, I'm writing a book about it," chuckles Ahmad, 43, over the
phone from Tappan, N.Y., where he lives with his wife and three sons.
As lead singer of Junoon, with more than 25 million albums sold worldwide,
Ahmad performs in Toronto Sunday at Roy Thomson Hall as part of the sold-out
Mystical Journey concert.
With stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal, and featuring 60
musicians and dancers from various parts of the Muslim world, the concert marks
the golden jubilee of His Highness Prince Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the
Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.
"It's a showcase for Muslim musicians seeking the divine through their
music," says Toronto organizer Sheherazade Hirji. It's also an attempt to
build bridges post-9/11 by planting seeds of understanding about Islam, she
adds.
That's also Ahmad's mission.
The Urdu and Punjabi singer is the subject of several documentaries: It's My
Country Too, a 2005 BBC film about Muslims in the U.S.; a 2003 PBS film,
the Rock Star and the Mullahs, and a 2001 VH1 production, Islamabad
Rock City, hosted by Susan Sarandon. He's also a UN goodwill ambassador
raising awareness of HIV/AIDS on the Indian subcontinent.
Ahmad knew nothing about rock music when he arrived in New York at age 11 but
was hooked after seeing Led Zeppelin in concert at Madison Square Garden.
"I saw Jimmy Page onstage with a double-headed guitar with dragons painted
on his pants playing `Stairway to Heaven.' I was blown away."
He started a garage band and dreamed of being a musician but went to medical
school in Lahore, following his parents' wishes.
A chance meeting with legendary qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at a
rehearsal for a charity fundraiser changed his life.
Guitar in hand, Ahmad asked Khan what he should play. "He told me, `Do whatever
your heart tells you to do.' It was great personal as well as professional
advice," recalls Ahmad.
He went on to a three-year apprenticeship with Khan and formed Junoon (which
means passion or obsession) in 1990.
It shot to fame tackling issues such as government corruption, nuclear testing
and tensions between Pakistan and India, with music inspired by classical Sufi
poets.
"Sufism is about celebrating cultural diversity, tolerance and peace. The
Sufis are the anti-Taliban," says Ahmad. "What modern Muslims need to
do is talk about Islam from a cultural perspective: the poetry, the music.
Otherwise the extremists who strap on bombs and blow themselves (up) get
covered in the media and the other side of Islam doesn't have a voice."
Ahmad's music is also influenced by seeing the suffering of the poor at
Pakistan's government hospitals during medical school. "I made a mental
note that whatever I do through music has to have a social component to
it," he says.
Though he finished medical school, he never did tell his parents that he wasn't
going to practise medicine.
"I think over the years it dawned upon them that I pulled a fast
one," he laughs.
Mel B
A Little Bit Of Sugar And Spice
Excerpt
from www.thestar.com
- Entertainment Reporter
(November 02, 2007) It's been almost a decade
since the world last
saw the Spice Girls together, but yesterday it only took one of them to drive
hundreds of Toronto fans wild.
Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Mel B, a.k.a. Scary
Spice, is currently enjoying her highest
profile in years as she's hoofing it to rave reviews – three perfect 10s last
week – on Dancing With the Stars. There's also the little matter of
the sold-out Spice Girls reunion tour, which will hit the Air Canada Centre for
two dates (Feb. 3-4). Even she admits to being surprised at the fandemonium
surrounding the tour.
"We all were. I mean, when the tickets went on sale, we were all like, `Oh
my god, oh my god,'" she says. "London sold out in a ridiculous
amount of seconds, but we were all holding our breath to see what happened. It
just goes to show that we've got a really good, strong fan base ... and I think
we all feel very lucky about that."
Brown was at the Eaton Centre as part of a Virgin Mobile event but was
immediately returning home to L.A., as she has to practise two dances for next
week. Plus, her fellow Spice Girls arrived this past weekend to rehearse for
the tour.
Despite rumours, Brown says there is no behind-the-scenes turmoil among the
group. "They just got in (to L.A.), so we're catching up right now. We're
all great friends ... it's just nice, we've all got kids, except for Mel C, but
(compared to the old days) it's just a more relaxed and mature environment."
Life is hectic for the mother of two (the only thing off limits during this
interview was her recent baby drama regarding Eddie Murphy, father of her
second child, Angel-Iris). She wakes up, practises for the tour, practises for
the TV show and is back at home at 7 p.m. to be with her kids. But she says
learning the different routines isn't confusing.
"(While performing) the moves for the tour, I'm with my four friends, and
we mess about and it's fun," she explains. "Doing ballroom dancing is
very specific, and with Spice Girls I can do my own thing. With ballroom you
can't. Plus, with ballroom, you get judged and kicked off. And I'm not going to
get kicked off the Spice Tour."
When asked about how the music industry has changed in the 11 years since the
Spice Girls dominated the charts, Brown answers frankly, "I don't think
we'd come out at all. We did our thing 11 years ago, where we had full creative
control, we styled ourselves. I think these days, it's ... slightly different,
where you have to answer to a lot more people, whereas we just had to answer to
ourselves."
The Spice renaissance really gets underway Nov. 13, when the greatest hits
album comes out with two new songs, one of which, "Headlines (Friendship
Never Ends)," has already leaked all over the Web.
Anthony Hamilton All About 'Me' In 2008
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
November 5, 2007) *Anthony Hamilton, currently active via his work
on the "American Gangster" soundtrack, has announced that Feb. 5 will
mark the release date of his new solo album, tentatively titled "Me."
He tells Billboard.com that the project will "make a statement" with
songs that are "full of life and situations we all go through, the changes
of men and women and relationships with God and family and children -- and the
political side of Anthony Hamilton that I speak out on in certain
situations."
Among his social commentaries are "Home," a soldier's message to his
wife that Hamilton co-wrote with his wife, Tarsha McMillan Hamilton, and
"Who Left the Gate Open?," which looks at the role of parenting (or
lack thereof) in creating "the wild, untamed people ... who raise so much
hell in the world."
He tells Billboard: "I always felt my third album was going to be my best
one. I don't think I'm going to let myself down or the people down. It's a nice
transition; you can just see my growth from the first one and the second one to
this one."
Other songs on the album include "Souls on Fire," "Praying For
You," "Cool" and "Me." He recently recorded a new
song, "Love," and is still working in the studio, but expects to be
done by the end of this month and mixing and mastering in December.
Also, Hamilton recently dueted with Keyshia Cole on "Losing You,"
which he co-wrote for her new album, "Just Like You"; with country
singer Josh Turner on "Nowhere Fast" from his new album,
"Everything is Fine"; and with rapper Chingy on "They Don't
Know" from "Hate It or Love It," which comes out Dec. 11.
Additionally, Hamilton appears on saxophonist Boney James' new holiday album,
"Christmas Present."
As for his work on "American Gangster," which hits stores tomorrow
(Nov. 6), Hamilton recorded the Diane Warren-written "Do You Feel Me"
and "Stone Cold," which he co-wrote with longtime Public Enemy
producer Hank Schocklee. He also performs "Do You Feel Me" during a
scene in the movie.
"I think it's a great opportunity for people to see me in a different
light," he says, "not video but on a big, mega-screen, and to be
connected with such amazing talent. It puts a little shine on my dusty texture.
My velvet bow tie looks a little patent leather right now."
Prince Fans Unite And Strike Back
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(November 6, 2007) *Dearly beloved, we are gathered
here today to announce a revolt against attempts by Prince's
lawyers to shut down any and all fan sites that use his image or likeness
without permission.
Prince
Fans United, a group made of Prince's three biggest fan sites, is
announcing their frustration with the singer's lawyers who are allegedly
threatening the sites through fear and intimidation.
The following is Prince Fans United's press release:
“November 5, 2007
PRINCE FANS FIGHT BACK AGAINST ATTACKS
In an extraordinary, but not unfamiliar move, the rock legend Prince is using
an army of lawyers to launch attacks on his own fans.
Several of the largest web communities dedicated to the artist have received
notices to cease and desist all use of photographs, images, lyrics, album
covers and anything linked to Prince’s likeness.
It is our opinion that these threats are not made in an attempt to enforce
valid copyright as Prince alleges in his threats, rather we believe they are
attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince. We strongly believe
that such actions are in violation of the freedom of speech and should not be
allowed. Prince claims that fan sites are not allowed to present any artwork
with Prince’s likeness, to the extreme that he has demanded removal of fan’s
own photographs of their Prince inspired tattoos and their vehicles displaying
Prince inspired license plates.
Prince’s representatives have requested that the fan sites provide them with
“substantive details of the means by which you [the fan sites] propose to
compensate our clients [Paisley Park Enterprises, NPG Records and Anschutz
Entertainment Group (AEG)] for damages…”
The owners of the three largest fan sites supporting Prince: www.housequake.com,
www.princefams.com
and www.prince.org
have come together to fight back to what amounts to an injustice to the fan
sites and the very fans who have supported Prince’s career, many since the very
beginning nearly thirty years ago.
It is their hope that Prince will reconsider his position and allow these fan
sites to continue their existence without constant threats from Prince and his
attorneys. Should this not be possible, the fan sites are fully prepared to
defend their position in the proper court of law, as well as fully prosecute
any claims to which they are justly entitled.
The owners of housequake.com, princefams.com and prince.org acknowledge that,
while Prince is entitled to control of his copyrights, it should be within the
law. The law clearly provides for displaying of images of a celebrity’s
likeness for newsworthy events or matters that are considered to be public
interest. All three websites feel that the photographs and/or likeness
displayed on their websites clearly fall within the public interest category.
Additionally, the use of photographs is legal based on the fair use doctrine,
i.e. the displaying of album cover art, or the collage headers created by
website members using a variety of different photographs.
Livin' The Life Of Marley
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Ashante
Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic
(November 06, 2007) These are good times for Ky-Mani
Marley, the second youngest of the late reggae
icon's seven sons.
Radio, his first album in six years is being released today. He's
currently opening for Van Halen's Reunion tour. And the 31-year-old
singer/songwriter and star of Jamaican cult films Shottas and One
Love debuted in the BET reality show Livin' the Life of Marley last
month.
"It gave me a chance to groom my craft," he said of the gap between Radio
and 2001's Grammy-nominated Many More Roads, which he attributed to a
change in labels and management.
"I'm much more developed as an artist. I listen to my earlier albums now
and I can hear how I was immature with my vocals. I'm like `Ah kid, you sounded
horrible.'"
Sports was young Marley's first love, though at his mother's insistence, he took
piano and guitar lessons. As a teen, he rapped and deejayed for friends,
eventually caught the singing bug and followed brothers Ziggy, Stephen, Damian
and Julian into the family business.
"Even when I signed my first record contract, I was like "Whatever.'
What set it off for me was when I started getting fans and they would tell me
my music meant so much to them; and how my music, or my dad's music saved their
life. Then I knew I had a purpose."
Marley's fourth disc finds him melding his gruff vocals – singing and rapping –
with reggae and hip-hop beats. An unexpected thread of profanity and
thuggishness permeates the disc's explorations of social and personal issues.
"I don't mean to disrespect anyone, but that is what I was going through
at the time," said the genial performer before his recent Air Canada
Centre gig.
"I'm working on another album right now that's totally different, it’s a
world music, kind of Top 40 feel, all acoustic, absolutely no cursing, and it
also speaks to the soul. Radio is just one expression of me."
The son of former table tennis champ Anita Belvanis, one of seven different
women Bob Marley had seven children with outside his marriage, said he comes by
his street insights honestly, citing the impoverished circumstances he lived in
until receiving his paternal inheritance 10 years after the reggae legend died
without a will.
"I lived in a two bedroom with nine people. We lived in front of what you
would call a crack house."
Now he's soaking up the opportunity to glean survival tactics from rockers Van
Halen.
"These are definitely the kind of bands that I look up to, because when I
think about my career, I want it to last as long as I want it. That's where I
come in now with the Top 40, kind of world beat music, to make sure that I have
that longevity."
And there are always the acting projects, including talk of him playing the
lead in a Bob Marley biopic.
"I don't know what's going on with that, but if I don't play him I'm going
to be upset. I was hearing something real ridiculous about Jamie Foxx....No
way! I'll be out on that set every day picketing. I promise."
Temptations Doin' It 'Back To Front'
Source: Tynicka Battle, ThinkTank Marketing, tynicka@thinktankmktg.com, www.thinktankmktg.com
(November 7, 2007) With 2006's Grammy-nominated
Reflections, The Temptations performed the Motown classics they always
loved but never had the chance to previously record.
Now, with Back To Front (New Door Records/UMe), released October 23, 2007,
you'll find these Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and one of the most
popular and enduring singing groups of all time performing some of the biggest
Pop and R&B songs in history.
For Back To Front, their 48th album of new recordings, and second for New Door
Records/UMe, The Temptations put their incomparable stamp on such classics as
"Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up" (the ageless Barry White smash), Sam
and Dave's seminal "Hold On, I'm Comin'," the Staple Singers'
self-assuring "Respect Yourself," the Bee Gees' monumental "How
Deep Is Your Love" and the timeless standard "Let It Be Me" as
well as "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again" (popularized
by L.T.D. with Jeffrey Osborne). Also featured are "Wake Up
Everybody" (the crossover giant from Philly soul legends Harold Melvin and
the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass), "I'm In Love,"
"Minute By Minute" (the Doobie Brothers' hit), "Don't Ask My Neighbors"
and "Love Ballad," (made popular by jazz giant George Benson).
Included among The Temptations' very own numerous and immortal hits are the
'70s R&B/pop No.1 "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),"
the No.1 R&B '60s smashes "Get Ready" and "Ain't Too Proud
To Beg," and the No.2 '80s R&B hit "Treat Her Like A Lady."
The Tempts' album successes in the new millennium have included 2000's
Grammy-winning, Top 20 R&B hit Ear-Resistable; 2001's Top 30
R&B-charting Awesome; 2004's Top 20 R&B-peaking Legacy and 2006's Top
20 R&B smash Reflections, which received massive critical and fan acclaim
plus a Grammy nomination. And most recently their 2006 DVD Get Ready! The
Definitive Performances 1965-1972 was certified platinum. The Temptations have
sold more than 35 million records in their legendary career, a feat that only a
few artists have achieved.
In 2007, The Temptations, with original member the venerable Otis Williams, Ron
Tyson (a member since 1983, the line-up’s second longest tenure), Bruce Williamson,
Terry Weeks and Joe Herndon, continue to raise the standard by which all
singing groups are measured.
The Temptations continue to tour across the country. In addition to that
schedule, they will perform several songs, including many from Back To Front,
on Kurt Browning's "Gotta Skate" ice skating show airing Sunday,
November 11 on NBC TV.
CURRENT TOUR SCHEDULE
12/11 Sioux City, IA Orpheum Theatre
12/12 Omaha, NE Orpheum Theatre
12/14 Ann Arbor, MI Washtenaw Community College
12/15 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theatre
12/16 Galesburg, IL Orpheum Theatre
ORDER HERE:
www.ilovethatsong.com
TRACK LISTING
1. Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (Barry White)
2. Hold On! I'm Comin' (Sam and Dave - Isaac Hayes and David Porter)
3. Wake Up Everybody (Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes feat. Teddy Pendergrass
- Victor Carstarphen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead)
4. Minute by Minute (Doobie Brothers - Michael McDonald and Lester Abrams) 5.
I'm in Love (Bobby Womack)
6. Don't Ask My Neighbors (Skip Scarborough)
7. Love Ballad (George Benson - Skip Scarborough)
8. Let It Be Me (Gilbert Becaud, Pierre Delanoe and Manny Kurtz)
9. How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees - Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb)
10. (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again (L.T.D., Jeffrey Osborne -
LenRon Hanks and Zane Grey)
11. Respect Yourself (Staple Singers - Luther Ingram and Mack Rice)
Chris Brown On His New Album, Movie And
Rihanna
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(November 7, 2007) *On this edition of the EURcast, Chris
Brown says he wants to be as big – if not
bigger – than his idol Michael Jackson in the wake of his new album
"Exclusive" and film "This Christmas."
Plus, the singer addresses those Rihanna rumours that have been circulating
around the black blogosphere.
We've also got the full, unedited audio of Stephen A Smith's take on the Kobe
Bryant situation in Los Angeles.
And what in the world ever happened to "Dead Presidents" star NBushe
Wright? EUR's Lee Bailey caught up with the actress, who says she has big plans
in store for 2008.
ABOUT THE EURcast
Welcome to the brand new EURcast, a podcast version of the EUR brimming with
extra urban entertainment juice and narrated by EUR editor, Cherie Saunders.
Every two weeks, we'll pump out a fresh new edition of the EURcast full of the
latest music, film, TV and gossip info heard directly from the stars
themselves.
There will also be special-edition podcasts released in addition to the
biweekly versions covering specific events. For example, one EURcast may take
you to the press room of the latest awards show. Another may place you on the
red carpet of the next movie premiere.
Wherever we go, you and your headphones are coming with us. Plus, we've got
leaked music from upcoming albums ... but shhhh, that's between us.
Sometimes, the EUR can get a little crowded with all of the day's urban news.
The EURcast has now arrived to pick up the slack and serve up urban
entertainment the way it was meant to be ... raw and uncut.
MUSIC TIDBITS
Most Opt Not To Pay For Radiohead
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - The
Associated Press
(November 07, 2007) Radiohead let its fans decide how much to pay for a
digital copy of the band's latest release, In Rainbows, and more than
half of those who downloaded the album chose to pay nothing, according to a
study by a consumer research firm. Some 62 per cent of the people who
downloaded In Rainbows in a four-week period last month opted not to pay
the British alt-rockers a cent. But the remaining 38 per cent voluntarily paid
an average of $6, according to the study by comScore Inc. Radiohead broke with
its past practice of releasing its music in CD format and through a major
record label when it released its seventh studio album online itself. The
band's decided to let fans pay what they wanted to download a copy. The study
results were drawn from data gathered from a few hundred people who are part of
comScore's database of two million computer users. The firm, which has
permission to monitor the users' online behaviour, did not provide a margin of
error for the results. Radiohead's U.S.-based publicist said yesterday the band
had no comment on the study.
Chris Brown Cranks That 'Kiss Kiss' On
Billboard
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(November 2, 2007) *It appears as if Americans are all
Soulja Boy'd
out and ready to pucker up for Chris Brown – as the crooner's new single,
"Kiss Kiss" (featuring T-Pain), has ended the month-long reign of
"Crank That (Soulja Boy) at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart this week. "Kiss Kiss " –
from Brown's forthcoming album "Exclusive" due Tuesday via Jive – is
the singer's second No. 1 on the Hot 100, following his Nov. 2005 hit "Run
It!" It's also this week's biggest airplay and digital sales gainer.
Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy) drops to No. 3 this week behind
Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic at No. 2. Alicia Keys'
"No One" remains at No. 4. Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" and
Kanye West's "Stronger" hold tight at No. 5 and No. 6,
respectively. Kanye's other hit single, "Good Life" featuring T-Pain,
rises 8-7, flip-flopping with Baby Bash's "Cyclone," also featuring
T-Pain. Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo, her sixth
top 10 title since 2005, holds at No. 9 for a second week. Timbaland's
"The Way I Are" featuring Keri Hilson remains at No. 10 for a second
week. On Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Keys' "No
One" stays at No. 1 for a third week.
Caribbean Entertainment Roundup
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(November 2, 2007) Barbados singer David Kirton has
released his third album Time for Change. Kirton’s two previous albums Stranger
and Modern Roots were released by RAS Records in the US. He had previously
toured for three months as the opening act for the late Joseph Hill formerly of
Culture. Singer Phillip 7 recently recorded a reggae remix of his single
Beautiful Surprise. The Bajan singer teamed up with noted producer Clive Hunt
at the Harmony House studios for the recording. Peter Ram recently copped a
handful of awards at the International Soca Awards for his smash single Woman
By My Side. Ram has teamed up with Jamaican dancehall artiste Aidonia for
the song Pumpkin. The track was produced by Corey Jordan and featured on the
Nirvana rhythm.
Montreal Lawyer To Head CBC
Excerpt
from www.globeandmail.com - The Canadian Press
(November 05, 2007) OTTAWA — Montreal
lawyer and broadcaster
Hubert Lacroix has been named president and chief
executive officer of the Canadian
Broadcasting Corp. and Radio-Canada. Heritage Minister Josée Verner said Monday that Mr.
Lacroix, chosen one of the top lawyers in Canada for 2008, has the experience
and skills to lead the public broadcaster. A lawyer for 30 years, his legal
specialties include media and publishing, as well as mergers and acquisitions,
and securities and corporate governance. He is a senior adviser with the
Montreal office of Stikeman Elliott. Mr. Lacroix replaces Liberal appointee
Robert Rabinovitch, whose second term ends this month. Mr. Lacroix worked for
Radio-Canada as a colour commentator for basketball during the Olympic Games in
1984, 1988 and 1996. He was senior adviser to Telemedia Ventures Inc. after
spending several years as the executive chairman of Telemedia Corp. He was also
a regular weekly contributor to the Saturday evening show Hebdo-Sports
on the radio network of Radio-Canada, where he reported mainly on amateur
sports. The headhunting firm of Egon Zehnder International was hired to seek
out potential candidates and make recommendations for the CBC post, but the
final decision was made by the Prime Minister's Office. The CBC has a budget of
about $1.5-billion, of which $950-million comes from the federal government.
Mr. Rabinovitch has been president of the CBC since 1999. His tenure was marked
by the development of Internet services and a number of labour conflicts,
including a seven-week lockout in 2005.
John Amos Done Gone Country
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
November 5, 2007) *John Amos, who currently stars in the ABC
comedy "Men in Trees," is releasing an album of country music titled
"We Were Hippies" in the wake of his relationship with members of the
legendary Cash family. The actor – who became a household name in
the seventies for such iconic roles as Kunta Kinte in the mini-series
"Roots" and James Evans in the CBS sitcom "Good Times" –
has signed a five-album deal with Music Row Records Nashville, which is run by
CEO Gene Cash. "Country Music is all about storytelling.
That's what makes John perfect for this genre," said Gene Cash. "We
worked with him closely and helped him discover his singing voice as well. John
Amos is country music." Cash picked up on Amos' talent over
the summer during several trips the TV star made to Nashville. Songs on the album
include the title track, written by 17-year-old Eric Cash of the Cash family,
as well as other Johnny Cash originals including "Hopelessly,"
"Independence Day" and a tribute to the late county legend titled,
"When Johnny Came to Town. "I'm originally from East Orange,
New Jersey and my mother and I would spend our summers on the family farm in
Birmingham where I learned to ride horses listening to Johnny Cash and other
great country artists," Amos said. "To now be embraced by the Cash
family in this way is a ride." "We Were Hippies" is
available for download via iTunes. For more info and to HEAR John's music,
visit www.myspace.com/johnamoscountry.
::FILM NEWS::
Filmmaking As Therapy: Who Knew?
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com -
Guy Dixon
(November 01, 2007) Father-son relationships always
take a little work. But imagine a bond so strained you are compelled to make a
feature documentary ridiculing, at times, your dad's passion, in this case
competitive bodybuilding, in order to find common ground.
Simply put, The Bodybuilder
& I, opening in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa
tomorrow, is universal father-son tensions writ large, with dumbbells and
spray-on self-tanner added to the mix.
Toronto filmmaker Bryan Friedman, now 27, had reached a crisis point. After a
broken relationship, he felt that he had his father's "bad husband, bad
father" gene. His dad, Bill Friedman, a driven, highly successful lawyer,
had divorced Bryan's mom when Bryan was 2 and had separated himself from much
of his son's life. Still resentful as an adult, Bryan had to confront this.
So far, so familiar. But what makes this story unusual is the world his dad now
inhabits: massive weight rooms, tanning booths, studios for practising
choreographed poses, nutritional fanaticism and grotesquely ripped abs. As a
bodybuilding champ competing in the 50-to-60-year-old category, Bill, who was
59 when the film was completed a year ago, has that unabashed mentality
bodybuilders possess. They are utterly unembarrassed wearing the skimpiest
briefs with an "S" for Superman stitched on the crotch, or will rip
off a tight PVC stage costume and start flexing their glutei. Bryan watches
this in disbelief throughout much of the film, unable to separate the sight
from his anger toward his father.
"I honestly don't think I would have gone through with the investigation
without the camera pushing me forward. Had I just sat down and had a
conversation with him, it would been a surface conversation that probably
wouldn't have gotten resolved. And as soon as things got hard, I would have
just backed off," Bryan said in an interview.
"But for some reason, the camera was pushing both of us forward. ... In
order to make a good film, I had to push all the way through."
As a result, the documentary takes an emotional journey, characteristic of many
films co-produced by the Natio
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