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LE NEWSLETTER

September 20, 2007


The beginning of Fall is just around the corner - can you believe it? 

Get right into it and chomp down on all the news this week including, lest we forget, the
Chaka Khan new release at the end of the month. 

Look for a
Morley recap and pictures next week!  What a great show!!

 

::SONY/BMG SCOOP::

Chaka Khan To Release First New Studio Project In 10 Years

Source: Sony/BMG Music Canada

Celebrating over three decades of milestones, Chaka Khan will release her first new studio album in over 10 years.  Khan’s music and celebrity have influenced generations of fans and contemporary recording artists setting standards across every music genre: Pop, Rhythm & Blues, Rock, Disco, Soul, Jazz, Hip Hop and even Classical.   Chaka Khan is a musical Icon.   FUNK THIS produced by the Grammy Award winners Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis embodies the funky soul of her musical roots with Rufus and her signature passionately-honest vocal styles that make Chaka Khan timeless.   “The album may remind people of my early Rufus albums because I’m in a similar ‘soul space.’  I’ve been on a little journey in the last few years, finding Yvette again.” (Referring to her birth name) “I went through a period of being insecure.  I’m walking a different path now.  I’ve changed.  This album is different from any other album I’ve recorded because it reflects what I’m about, who I am now.  The album is called, ‘Funk This!’ because it’s funky!”  The thoughtful work ranges from original copyrights, collaborations with superstar artists, to adding her signature stamp on important contemporary classics.  

The collection includes fresh renditions of Prince’s “Sign ‘O’ the Times”; a duet with Michael McDonald on “You Belong To Me,” a song he co-wrote with Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies Man,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Castle Made Of Sand,” the soul classic “Foolish Fool” and Rufus medley of  “Pack’d My Bags,” and “You Got The Love.”    FUNK THIS original’s include “Disrespectful,” the tour-de-force duet with powerhouse Mary J. Blige, a poignant poetic ballad, “Angel,” the acoustic “One For All Time” penned by Chaka and Terry Lewis, the deeply beautiful and soulful “Will You Love Me?” and self affirming “Superlife” among others.   Eight-time Grammy Award winner singer, songwriter and community advocate – Chaka Khan has been active in lending her support to the community for many years.   The Chaka Khan Foundation, founded in 1999, raised over $1.4 million through its funding raising efforts last year alone.   The Foundation assists women and children at risk and benefits Autism research, awareness and therapy.   For more information, please go to www.chakakhanfoundation.org.

Track List:

 1) Back In The Day
 2) Foolish Fool
 3) One For All Time
 4) Angel
 5) Will You Love Me?
 6) Castles Made Of Sand
 7) Disrespectful (Featuring Mary J. Blige)
 8) Sign ‘O’ The Times
 9) Pack’d My Bags/You Got The Love (Featuring Tony Maiden)
10) Ladies Man
11) You Belong To Me (Featuring Michael McDonald)
12) Hail To The Wrong
13) Superlife

www.chakakhan.com
www.burgundyrecords.com
www.sonybmg.ca

::TOP STORIES::

Promising Signs For Jacksoul's Neale

Source: Rebecca Penty, National Post


(Sept. 13, 2007)
Haydain Neale, frontman for the soul ensemble jacksoul, remains in a coma six weeks after he was badly injured in a Scarborough car accident, but has begun to respond to therapy, his mother says. “He moved his eyes and he moved his fingers on Monday,” Geneva Neale, said yesterday. “It is a blessing to me to come from Hamilton and see this,” Mrs. Neale said, adding that Mr. Neale cannot talk, eat, or move his limbs. Mr. Neale, 36, was critically injured Aug. 3 at 9:53 p.m. when a car turned into the path of his Vespa while he was travelling southbound on Kennedy Road at Foxbridge Drive. Twenty-year-old Kyle Samuel of Toronto has been charged with making an unsafe turn, and is scheduled to appear at Old City Hall court on Oct. 25.  Mrs. Neale is scheduled to visit Mr. Neale Mondays and Fridays but as his mother, she said she visits when she needs to. “If I feel I need to be there, I am there,”  she said. “I am a very spiritual person and we have to make spiritual connections.”

The 67-year-old Trinidad native emigrated to Hamilton in the 1960s and said she raised Mr. Neale and his three sisters in Hamilton alone after Mr. Neale’s father left when he was five years old. The first few months as a single mother were hard, Mrs. Neale said, until a woman and her husband in Grimsby, where Mrs. Neale lived at the time, dragged her “kicking and screaming” to the welfare office. Days later, Mrs. Neale moved the family to Hamilton and they lived in social housing until Mrs. Neale bought a home when Haydain was 18 years old. Mr. Neale always expressed his affinity for music and the arts, even while studying biology at the University of Guelph, said Mrs. Neale, who was a light opera singer in Burlington when Mr. Neale was in diapers and now performs her poetry. “I was proud to see him singing away on stage with the Robbie Burns Society,” she said of Mr. Neale’s musical involvement in university. “He was singing away in a kilt! I told him not to lift his leg,” she said, laughing. Mr. Neale has enjoyed great success with his band jacksoul, since they formed in the 1990s. In the spring, he was presented with his second Juno Award for best R&B/soul recording of the year for the album mySOUL, a compilation of cover songs. The first Juno came in 2001 for the album Sleepless. On jacksoul’s My Space page, Mr. Neale wrote that among other things, he enjoys “changing the world one song at a time.” Mrs. Neale said she has faith her son will recover. “He’s responding to the therapy − they’re doing a great job,” she said. “Even the worst part of it, I am hopeful because of ‘I am.’ ‘I am,’ is the prayer Jesus prayed,” she said. “I never expected him to leave us.”

Gregory Kieth - The Noah’s Arc Interview with Kam Williams

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Kam Williams

(Sept. 13, 2007) Born on in Detroit on Sept 28, 1976,
Gregory Kieth caught the acting bug as a child while entertaining at family gatherings, doing impersonations and storytelling. At the age of five, his family moved to California, where his interest in athletics and modeling eventually took a backseat to his true desire, acting.   Parents never forget their children’s first word. Well, when Greg began to speak, his folks say he didn’t have just one word to say, but a whole rap song and beat, snapping his fingers and the whole nine yards. And while he grew up in the ‘hood where fun and games were nonexistent, he didn’t let his dire circumstances destroy his creative impulse.    Instead, he used his environment as a source of inspiration. As long as he can remember, music has been second nature with Greg. He began composing songs at 11, however, his first priority was still sports at that point. Realizing where his heart was, he gave up playing ball and headed to Hollywood. Not long after, Greg was recording his first demo album and testing his material at the local hot spots. After overwhelmingly positive feedback, he became even more ambitious to begin on his next album.    Eventually, he found his niche as an actor, landing bit parts in various television series, including Suddenly Susan and The Jamie Foxx Show. Although his heart is in performing, he also works in music production and dabbles in screenwriting. Plus, he strives to maintain a healthy mind and body through a strict workout regimen while living life to its fullest.

You can hear Gregory’s music on many movie soundtracks as well as television shows, including Noah’s Arc, a gay-themed, African-American-oriented TV series, where he is a member of the ensemble in the role of Trey, a gay doctor.  He’s currently working on Johnny 99, an action film in which heaven and hell are at war on Earth; and he’s recently entered talks with Tommy Boy Records about a recording contract.  Here, he talks about his career, including his work on Noah’s Arc.

KW: Thanks for the time, Greg.

GK: My pleasure.

KW: You were born in Detroit, but raised in L.A. Do you still have any childhood memories of Motown?

GK: Too many to mention, but one that comes to mind is when my brother and I were playing upstairs in our house when my dad would call us down to listen to the latest jam on the radio.

KW: How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an entertainer?

GK: I was around five.

KW: Did you perform in many school productions?

GK: No, I was shy in my school but started to come around in junior high. That’s when the talent shows and acting started to take root.

KW: Did you study acting and singing formally in school?

GK: Not really. singing and acting came kind of naturally. Singing was from my heart, and acting was what you learned to do to stay out of trouble.

KW: Which do you prefer?

GK: Both the same.

KW: What was your first professional acting gig?

GK: A commercial for Gatorade.

KW: How did you land the role of Trey on Noah’s Arc?

GK: I actually auditioned for [Noah’s Arc producer] Patrick Polk for another film and he thought I would be perfect for the role of Trey. We had lunch and he talked to me about the script, the next thing I knew we were in Vancouver shooting season 2.

KW: How would you describe your character?

GK: Compassionate, stern, and loving with a twist of nerd.

KW: Do they have anything interesting planned for your character this season?

GK: From what I hear, Trey and Alex are making some major changes in there lives.

KW: How do you get along with the other actors in the ensemble?

GK: (LOL) Probably the funniest bunch of guys I’ve been around in a long time.

KW: Do you see the show as having social significance beyond its entertainment value?

GK: Definitely. I think the show has done so much in respect to the gay and lesbian community, not to mention the gay African American male. 

KW: Are you worried that playing a gay character on TV might leave you typecast in the way that Jaleel White had a hard time shaking the nerd image after playing Urkel? 

GK: The show had meaning and the story was one that I thought was as interesting as any I had seen on prime time television. So, not really. No.

KW: Do think that being a handsome, light-skinned brother with a buff body is a blessing or a curse in Hollywood?

GK: A little bit of both. but you learn to gain and lose weight when you have too.

KW: What type of regimen do you have to maintain to keep in that shape?

GK: Don’t remind me. (LOL) Six days a week for two hours at 7am .

KW: What do you do in your spare time?

GK: Write music and produce indy films with my brother and best friend.

KW: I listened to some samples from your CD (here), and enjoyed the tunes I heard, especially Don’t Play. How would characterize your singing style?

GK: Schizophrenic.

KW: Who are your musical influences?

GK: Prince, The Temptations, Ray Charles.

KW: What sort of roles are you looking for?

GK: Anything that makes me think, and/or something that pushes me to expand my craft.

KW: What actors and actresses would you like to work with?

GK: Chris Walken, Robert De Niro, Stallone, Don Cheadle.

KW: Directors?

GK: Ridley Scott, Spike Lee.

KW: What area of Los Angeles were you raised in as a child?

GK: I guess most parts. We moved every year so.

KW: Where in the city do you live now?

GK: Outside of L.A., actually.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

GK: Smile, when you think things just can’t get any worse.

KW: Thanks for the time Gregory, and best of luck.

GK: Thanks for having me.

Jawn Murray Writes And Open Letter To Beyonce Knowles

By Jawn Murray, AOL Black Voices Columnist

(Sept. 17, 2007) See what he has to say to the pop superstar.

Dear
Beyonce,

Let me first commend you on your newest philanthropic endeavour, The Knowles-Rowland Temenos Apartments to help those needing assistance after natural and personal disasters. I'm sure the 43-unit; single-room occupancy housing for men and women will be a blessing to those in the Houston area.

I'm actually writing this letter out of genuine concern and I hope you receive it in the spirit that it is intended. At 26-years-old, you have accomplished things that your peers could only dream of. Both as a member of Destiny's Child and as a solo star, you have won Grammys and sold millions of records. Your strong brand has helped you to transition into Hollywood ('Dreamgirls,' 'The Pink Panther,' 'Austin Powers in Goldmember'), sell fragrances and beauty brands (Tommy Hilfiger, Emporio Armani, L'Oreal), appear in commercial campaigns (Pepsi, McDonalds) as well as launch your a clothing line with your mom, Tina Knowles (House of Dereon). Those are all significant feats!

But I recently became concerned when I heard that you intend to go back into the studio come November and plan to release a new album next summer. That's really disturbing to me. If you take the time look those artists and musicians who are master's of their craft, you will see that most of them take a few years off between projects to (1) rejuvenate and find inspiration for their next endeavour and (2) not over-saturate the marketplace. You are without a doubt teetering on the brink of over-saturation and I wanted to 'Ring the Alarm' before you become an industry 'Bug-A-Boo!'

As an entertainment professional who respects your hustle, I tip my hat to your gifts and salute your accomplishments. I know its not just 'Me, Myself and I' who feels that if I see you on another magazine cover or hear you give another blah acceptance speech at an award show anytime soon, I'll 'Lose My Breath' and be full of 'Resentment.'  I can use Mariah Carey as example of an artist who waited too long to take a break and nearly ruined her career. Better is Alicia Keys, who brilliantly takes at least three years off in between CD releases and typically reinvents herself every time. It's clear that every great artist needs down time for longevity. (See also: Madonna, Tina Turner, Maxwell, Dr. Dre, Diana Ross, Outkast, Sade, etc.) I believe that an extended vacation is necessary for an artist, just even if to 'Upgrade U!'

In addition to giving the industry and the all-important consumer a break, I genuinely believe you did a disservice to your Destiny's Child group member Kelly Rowland, by re-releasing that deluxe edition of 'B'Day' just months before she was set to unveil her sophomore solo effort. How could anyone really expect her to get her career 'Jumpin Jumpin' with you still monopolizing the marketplace?

I know you are an 'Independent Woman' who may not want to take direction from this man you've only met in passing, but I really hope that you will take a couple of years off and consider not releasing your next CD until at least the fall of 2009 (and that's still pushing it). Make no mistake: I recognize that you're the premiere vocalist of this generation and a spectacular international brand. But I think the consumers are going to begin telling you, 'No, No, No,' and ultimately leave you 'Speechless' if you don't retreat for a while!

[See my related opinion HERE.]

Znaimer Ready To Reinvent Classical Radio

Excerpt from www.thestar.com - John Terauds, Classical Music Critic

(September 18, 2007) You would be hard-pressed to get 24 of Canada's top performers into the same room in one day. But
Moses Znaimer has a way of making the impossible happen. The arbiter of televised hip – as owner of Citytv, he reinvented local news and brought the music video to Canada in the 1980s – turned 65 this year. Now, as a senior citizen, Znaimer may have set himself his most difficult goal ever. He is storming the barricades of traditional FM radio to drag classical music kicking and screaming into the 21st century. From 5 a.m. to an hour past midnight tonight, Znaimer hosts a private party to launch the New Classical 96.3 FM. There will be champagne and snacks. There are also live performances every hour. The day's highlights include visits by violinists Angèle Dubeau and Lara St. John, pianist Anton Kuerti and singers Ben Heppner, Measha Brueggergosman, Russell Braun and Michael Schade and Sondra Radvanovsky. During the course of the festivities, Znaimer will announce his plans for Classical 96.3, which he bought in August 2006. The station – whose call letters were recently changed from CFMX to CFMZ to match Znaimer's initials – has had a stable listenership for the last five years. With an audience share of 4.6 per cent this spring, CFMZ squeaked into the top third of the 23 Toronto stations surveyed by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement every quarter. This trumps perennial ratings laggard CBC Radio Two. Despite numerous changes to its mainly classical programming over the last year, the station sits at a dismal 1.8 per cent share of Toronto listeners.

Despite today's hoopla, many of Znaimer's changes are cosmetic – a new logo and a fun ad campaign. There have also been improvements on the air. Like its commercial competition, Classical 96.3 now has a morning show, dubbed Good Day GTA, running from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. It is hosted by Mike Duncan and Jean Stilwell, a working mezzo-soprano. You don't hear much wisecracking morning-show banter with this duo, but you do get live vocals. At 9:20 a.m., Stilwell and pianist Patti Loach perform "Taylor the Latte Boy," from their cabaret collaboration, Carmen Unzipped. "Moses will be our muse, standing there in his tux," says Loach. She adds, with a laugh, "Maybe we'll be able to convince him to hold a green barista towel."  The drive-home show is Alexa's Oasis, presided over by Alexa Petrenko, the station's most engaging – and engaged – voice.  Petrenko can be seen regularly at performances around the city and she is on the air every day with a playlist that goes deeper than the station's typically light fare. On Sunday evenings, she now also hosts an opera show. In a recent conversation, Petrenko indicated she was happy with the latitude Znaimer is giving her in developing her programs. The station's main transmitter is in Cobourg, where the original CFMX has been renamed the New Classical 103.1. The programming is shared with its Toronto sister.

When he bought Canada's only privately owned English-language classical station from Trumar Communications last year for $12 million, Znaimer told the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that he had three main goals: Attract younger audiences, sell more advertising aimed at mature listeners and acquire new licences. The current changes target baby boomers in particular. Znaimer and his sister Libby, who can be heard on-air, are calling this audience "Zoomers – boomers with zip," says Classical 96.3 spokesperson Catherine King. In a related move, Znaimer's MZ Media bought www.50Plus.com, "the Internet portal for Boomers, 50+ and retired people," in late August. You can bet that Znaimer will cross-pollinate as much content as possible. If this sounds too sedate for the former bad boy of Canadian television, rest assured that there is more news to come. Last December, Znaimer quietly received CRTC approval for a specialty TV channel that would broadcast a wide range of documentary and live-performance programming, as well as classical-music videos. Znaimer should call the new creation MuchMore Classical Music.

Kam Williams Interviews Columbus Short: Discovering Columbus

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com – by Kam Williams

(September 19, 2007) *Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 19, 1982, Columbus Keith Short, Jr. started entertaining at the age of three by putting on shows for his folks’ enjoyment.  Whether impersonating relatives, dancing or just making people laugh, everyone sensed something special about the boy.  Fortunately, his family later relocated to Los Angeles where, by his early teens, Columbus had landed work in such television commercial campaigns as Mountain Dew, Denny’s Restaurant, NIKE and  Pizza Hut, to name a few. As a senior in high school, he was offered an opportunity to graduate two months early in order to see the world with the traveling production of the Broadway show STOMP!  And after a couple of years on the road with that famed dance troop, he would parlay his professional success into a stint as the choreographer of Britney Spears’ In the Zone tour. However, when rumours of his conducting a clandestine affair with the pop icon surfaced, the tabloids were quick to make much of the illicit liaison. For, by then, Columbus was not only married but his wife was expecting. This didn’t sit well with Britney’s mother who didn’t like her daughter being labelled a home-wrecker. So, mom dealt with the case of Jungle Fever by firing him and finding another dancer. Though a very versatile Renaissance Man who is also a writer, musician and director, Columbus came off the road to pursue his primary passion, namely, acting. His motion picture credits include You Got Served, War of the Worlds and, Save the Last Dance 2. In addition, he has guest-starred on TV shows like “ER,” “Judging Amy,” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”

But his big break arrived earlier this year when he played the lead role of “DJ” in Stomp the Yard which was #1 at the box office two weeks in a row and grossed over 73.4 million dollars. Now one of the most sought emerging talents in Hollywood, Columbus can next be seen in a lead role alongside Lauren London and Mekhi Phifer in a holiday film called
This Christmas.  Furthermore, he recently wrapped a starring role in the Warner Brothers thriller Whiteout opposite Kate Beckinsale. When not working, Columbus loves football, basketball and snowboarding.  Here, he discusses all of the above, and Britney’s lacklustre performance at the MTV Awards.

KAM WILLIAMS: Thanks for the time, Columbus. What have you been up to?

COLUMBUS SHORT: I’m writing a pilot for a TV show that I’m trying to get off the ground. I’ve been diligently working on that about 12 hours a day for the past couple of weeks.

KW: Are you going to star in it?

CS: No, no, I’m really keen on producing, and doing projects with my company. And this is one that I really wanted to create.

KW: You act, dance, choreograph, write, play music, etcetera. How do you decide what to focus on when you’ve been blessed with so many talents?

CS: I’ve learned that I can’t do it all at once. So, you have to figure out your angle of attack. Coming in on the acting front, acting is a passion of mine. It’s a true love. Dancing, I kind of just fell into. Choreographing, the same thing. But making films, producing and directing, that’s the heartbeat of my existence.

KW: How did you come to choreograph Britney Spears?

CS: Honestly, I don’t know, Kam. It’s just one of those things in my life like, “How did that happen?” First, I got hired as a dancer for her by another choreographer who was later let go, and one thing led to another.
Here I was 20 years-old, and I was running the tour for the biggest pop artist at the time. Jumping into that was overwhelming, but I learned so much, and it was great to have that experience. I’ll never forget it.

KW: What did you think of Britney’s recent performance at the MTV Awards? Judging from her performance, it looks like she could use your help again as a choreographer.

CS: Oh man, I felt bad.

KW: Who’s to blame for such a disaster?

CS: In terms of that, it’s not the choreographer’s fault. It’s not the label’s… It’s not her management’s… It’s not her team’s… I guess MTV can take part of the blame for exploiting her like that, but it’s basically Britney’s fault. She knows the drama that would be surrounding a highly-anticipated, return performance in front of the masses.  Yet, she wasn’t ready to do her job. So, I blame no one, because there’s no one else to blame. I say my prayers for her, and hope that she can pull it together.

KW: Yeah, it seems like she’s been spiralling out-of-control for a couple of years now. From not putting her kid in a car seat to divorcing her husband to not wearing panties in public to substance abuse to attacking the paparazzi to shaving her head impulsively to having to re-enter rehab.

CS: All I can say is, this business is tough, Kam. You never know who or what’s real. That’s why you’ve seen it with everybody. It’s tough when you get in this business, if you have no grounded foundation other than Hollywood, because this business isn’t real. We’re getting paid to do what we love, but it isn’t real. If everybody could remember that, they might not take it for granted, and hold strong.

KW: What was it like for you when you were in the tabloids and romantically linked to Britney?

CS: At first, I thought that was the dream, to be chased by paparazzi. I thought that was the life, to be jet-setting around the world with a pop star. But once I was immersed in it, I honestly didn’t have a moment of happiness, Kam. I don’t think I was happy even one day when I worked for Britney, simply because it was all too much. It was my family calling me, editors calling my family members and friends I hadn’t talked to in years. It was so much, it almost completely broke me.

KW: How did you get involved in the first place?

CS: The scandal was manufactured by these magazine publications that have to make money, so I can’t be mad at them.

KW: But I remember seeing photos of the two of you kissing.

CS: I don’t know why they singled me out, because all the dancers were giving her hugs after rehearsals. And there were ten other dancers. So, when that first photo came out, it made me laugh, because they made it look like we were kissing. But there’s no way that would be happening during a rehearsal. Then, it kind of spiralled out of control from there, because I was hanging out with her all the time. I didn’t realize that it was going to be scandalous when you hang out with someone who’s followed by thousands of cameramen, especially when, my friend, you’re a black man, and she’s the hot blonde princess. It was a recipe for $50,000 photos. That’s all that was. I kind of laugh at it now.

KW: How do you feel about her today?

CS: I’m so far removed from that past, that I look at Britney like everyone else does. I don’t know her.

KW: How has the experience change you?

CS: Going through that thing with Britney showed me what’s real. But it was tough. I won’t even lie. Now, I’m just interested in doing good work, and in earning the respect of my peers.

KW: Did your marriage survive the controversy and constant exposure?

CS: No, my marriage was already finished before that.

KW: How’s your relationship with your son?

CS: My son’s four now, and my relationship with him is what keeps me grounded.

KW: Jimmy Bayan reminded me to ask you where in L.A. you live now.

CS: I live in the Valley, but after that triple-digit heat wave this summer, I’m out of here. I think I’m going to moving to Santa Monica, and maybe get a place in New York.

KW: How’s your upcoming release, This Christmas?

CS: It’s a great movie. It’s one of those classy, black family films we haven’t had in a long while. It’s the embodiment of class. Remember what the Cosby Show was like back in the day? It makes you feel good to see an affluent African-American couple doing well and having regular problems.

For full interview with Kam Williams, go HERE.

::MUSIC NEWS::

Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds Makes 'List'

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Kenya M. Yarbrough

(September 17, 2007) *After a two-year hiatus, hitmaker
Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds is releasing his 11th album, titled “Playlist.”  The new disc has what music fans know about Babyface – his mellow style and it also has what music fans may not know about Babyface – his love of classic pop.  “Playlist,” which hits shelves tomorrow, September 18, is a collection of covers of classic melancholy pop hits that the R&B crooner grew up loving. “This is music that I grew up with and that influenced me to write how I write,” Babyface said of the new disc. “It’s music that’s close to me, so it’s kind of like my playlist.” The singer explained that while growing up in Indianapolis, his music tastes were shaped by a Sunday morning ritual. “I would go to church on Sundays and stay as long as the choir sang, but before the preacher would start I’d go get in the car and listen to the AM station,” he confessed. “That’s where I heard James Taylor and Roberta Flack. All these songs were beautiful songs that I wanted to learn how to play. That was part of it: grabbing the soulful part of the church and then going back and hearing pop in the car. That’s who I am. I’m a combination of those things.” The new disc features remakes of classic pop-rock hits such as James Taylor's "Fire & Rain,” Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle," and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” just to name a few. "Playlist" is reportedly the first release for Island Def Jam's relaunched Mercury Records division, and it reunites Babyface and his former writing/production partner IDJ chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid, who Babyface said is very optimistic of Edmond’s change of pace for the project. “I’m comfortable with my choices,” he said of the playlist on “Playlist.” “I don’t think I have abandoned who I am. This is just another part of me.”

However, the question remains, “Will this seemingly significant shift in genre surprise die-hard his fans in the least?” Babyface doesn’t think so. “It’s such a wide range of fans. Ever since I worked with Eric Clapton, and also when I did ‘When Can I See You,’ I’ve done some things acoustically, and this is kind of like an acoustic record,” he said. “I think that if they just listen to it, it’s very heartfelt and still very soulful in its way. I think it’s very musical. It’s not so much a left turn for me as it is another part of me. I could have done a total R&B kind of record, but that’s not the kind of record I really wanted to do. I wanted to do music that has always been a piece of me, but I haven’t been able to follow the thought all the way through.” Still, Babyface admitted that he isn’t quite sure how the album will relate to his fans overall, explaining that even on his previous albums, there are fans that listened to certain tracks consistently, while other fans who favoured a completely different set of songs on the same album. He continued that he is not expecting urban radio to necessarily flock to the majority of tracks on “Playlist,” but explained that this project is not about jockeying for position on genre-specific radio. “The music that I’ve done, I think is soulful even if it’s not R&B,” he said, “and my fans are just people who love music. I wouldn’t ever think that I’d have to curve my music to say, ‘You can only do R&B music.’ You have to look inside and say, ‘Do you like the work that you do?’ That’s the only gauge you ultimately can go by. You don’t make the music for a particular radio format. This music just happens to be what it is.” Surprisingly, the music industry philosophy of not using radio to promote a record has been extremely successful for a number of multi-genre artists and remake albums. Babyface relayed that these artists have turned to television to promote their projects, a path he plans to follow.

“I could make a very young R&B record, but what difference does it make – it’s going to go to Urban AC,” he said of the industry’s need to categorize. “The way this campaign will probably be done is through more TV and not radio. Like when you look at Norah Jones, she doesn’t sell her records through radio. You look at Rod Stewart and the record he did of the old standards – it’s not on the radio. It sells a lot of records, but it’s not on the radio.” “You never can predict on any record that you do,” he continued. “All I can say is that I feel really good about it. It’s heartfelt. I did eight covers and two new songs. I feel like it all blends in. I feel really good about it. I really feel like it’s a very well produced record.” Still, Babyface acknowledged that this path to records sales is a new one for his career, but explained to EUR’s Lee Bailey that he is at a point where he can make the music he wants to make and expand his repertoire and his reach. “Initially, we made songs to make sure we could get on radio. We made sure we could fit the format,” he said of his early days as a young musician with the group The Deele as well as his successful solo projects. “Today, the format is so different and so specific; I think ultimately good music is going to rule the day again. And mostly, good music comes from what’s honest.” Released tomorrow (Tuesday), fans can weigh in on whether or not “Playlist,” Edmond’s honest attempt at classic pop covers, makes the list.  For more information, go to babyface.islandrecords.com or www.MySpace.com/babyface.

Phyllis Hyman’s 'Strength' Revealed

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Kenya M. Yarbrough

(September 14, 2007) “You see the deck was really stacked against her. This was her start. This was her childhood. This is how she grew up. The issues continued into adulthood. She turned to alcohol and to drugs as to sort of self-medicate. The substance abuse only further complicated mental health issues. She tried twice to clean up and go to rehab, but she couldn’t maintain sobriety. I think the depth of her issues were too great for her.”

*Songbird
Phyllis Hyman, one of the most gifted and critically acclaimed vocalists and performers from the 1970s through the 1990s is also considered one of the most overlooked by music historians and one of the most tragic in pop culture.  After a lifelong bout with mental illness and depression, and battles with racism and sexism in the music industry, the singer took her own life in 1995, just hours before she was to perform at the legendary Apollo Theatre. 

Journalist Jason A. Michael recognized that Hyman’s story was one that not only needed to be told, but wanted to be told, and after several attempts and 12 years, Michael released the biography, “
Strength of a Woman: the Phyllis Hyman Story” on September 4. The delay in putting the story to paper was not for Michael not trying.   “Shortly after Phyllis died, I had the dream to do this,” he said. “I felt there was a story there, but I was in college at that time. I tried and couldn’t get it off the ground and was sort of dismissed at that time by Phyllis’ estate. They had some other folks in mind to write this story. Finally, in 2001, six years after Phyllis’ death, nothing had come out. I figured that if I wanted to read a book about Phyllis Hyman, I was going to have to write a book about Phyllis Hyman. I tried for the third time and the pieces sort of fell into place. I’m really happy with how it turned out.” Publishing the book still wasn’t that easy. Michael presented his idea of a Hyman biography to several prominent New York publishers, but was told emphatically that no one remembered her and that there was no market for a book.

“We got turned down time and time again,” Michael exasperatedly told EUR’s Lee Bailey. “I went through two literary agents and both agents thought that it was going to be an easy sell. Both were surprised, as was I, that a book on Phyllis wouldn’t sell. I was told things like she had not become a cult icon like Marvin Gaye became after his death, or that not enough folks remembered her story.” Michael said that he just felt the publishers were naïve about how big her fan base is.  “My goal is, I’ll prove them wrong and help them see they missed out on a great opportunity.” Even though Hyman wasn’t a million-seller, the singer had an illustrious career of hits, with two gold records.  “She was always on the cusp of that major hit,” the writer said. “I think that folks had a hard time knowing what to do with her. Clive Davis certainly tried to make her into a more commercial superstar, but she felt that that did not really reflect her artistry. She was sort of the queen of the power ballads and her music did not always translate to the more commercial, youth-oriented radio audience. But for those in the know, there was no one like her.” He continued that like many others, he became a big fan of Hyman’s as soon as she heard her voice, but that the time – the disco era – wasn’t right for her kind of music, that disco funk didn’t do her voice any justice. But it wasn’t the genre that drew fans to the powerful songstress. Like many others. Michael was drawn to her emotion.  “I heard a note of pain in her voice and I think it spoke to me. I had suffered from depression issues and had been diagnosed as bipolar, as Phyllis was. At the time that Phyllis died, I was working with soul singer Betty Wright who had been working with Phyllis since the early ‘70s. I saw that Betty was devastated, but not surprised with how Phyllis’ end came about. I think my journalistic instincts kicked in and said, ‘There must be a story there.’” The more research Michael did on Phyllis, the more similarities he saw between the two of them, which attracted him to the story even more.

“She has taught me so much and even though she ultimately chose to end her life, I sort of credit her with giving me the courage to fully live mine. In examining some the traps and pitfalls she fell into and I feel as though I now know how to avoid them. That’s really what I’m hoping this book will do for its readers – to help them see what’s inside of them ... that they need to work on and inspire them to get started. ‘Strength of a Woman’ is a cautionary tale and I think the moral of the story is to take care of your issues or your issues will take care of you. With Phyllis’ case that’s sadly what happened.” As Michael covers in the book, mental illness was prevalent in her family. Her mother suffered from chronic depression; her father was alcoholic. Two of her siblings also battled bipolar disorder, and another suffered from chronic depression, and yet another struggles with schizophrenia.  “You see the deck was really stacked against her. This was her start. This was her childhood. This is how she grew up. The issues continued into adulthood. She turned to alcohol and to drugs as to sort of self-medicate. The substance abuse only further complicated mental health issues. She tried twice to clean up and go to rehab, but she couldn’t maintain sobriety. I think the depth of her issues were too great for her.” Hyman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1985 and was prescribed Lithium to treat it. Considered a newly diagnosed disease back then, medications and treatment options were limited at that time.  “A lot folks, Phyllis included, thought that a very creative individual would take these meds and would miss some of the highs that bipolar brings about, which they thought was somehow connected to their creativity. They didn’t like being levelled out, which is what Lithium and other mood stabilizers do. So [Hyman] thought the meds were not for her and that she could somehow handle this on her own, but I think bipolar disorder was bigger.”

In 1989, Hyman failed at her first suicide attempt. She tried again in 1990 before succeeding in 1995 at the age of 45.  “It was pretty much kept under wraps,” Michael said of her failed suicide attempts. “A lot of her issues and drama were kept under wraps to the extent that it could be. But if you’ve ever seen a Phyllis Hyman concert, she put a lot of her feelings on display. She was very open with her audience. The darker issues were sort of kept under wraps as were her trips to rehab.” Friends, fans, industry execs, as well as music journalists also got a taste of Hyman’s tumultuous personality. Bailey, himself, called her “candid,” to say the least.  “It depended on where she was in her emotional spectrum when you encountered her,” Michael said of how others saw Hyman. “Phyllis was an extremely generous person, an extremely giving person, and at the right time, a hilarious person. It just depended on where she was in her struggle emotionally as to which Phyllis you would meet. She could be very difficult, but she could be incredibly sweet. She was all of those things in one body and you could see a great deal of them all in one day.”

Michael, on the other hand, did not have the pleasure, or displeasure for that matter, of meeting the recording star. His first biographical novel, he credits that to how the voice of the book remained balanced.  “I never met her, which I’m sort of thankful for and which Phyllis’ estate was appreciative as well. Had I met her, I may have had my own response to how I was treated. I think not having met her, it allowed me to speak to all these folks who had different recollections and sort of remain unbiased. I prayed for the gift of discernment. I had to sort of read between the lines and endeavour to remain impartial and write a very balanced story.”  “Strength of a Woman” candidly explores the singer’s torment and her successes, and includes revelations on how she lost the role of Shug Avery in the movie adaptation of “The Color Purple”; her clashes with record industry legend Clive Davis; and her assessments of female singers of her time including Jody Watley, Vanity, and Paula Abdul. For more on the book, the author, and the star herself, check out www.phyllishymanstory.com.

Prince to sue YouTube, eBay

Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com - Mike Collett-White, Reuters

(September 13, 2007) LONDON — U.S. pop star
Prince plans to sue YouTube and other major websites for unauthorized use of his music in a bid to "reclaim his art on the Internet." The man behind hit songs Purple Rain, 1999 and When Doves Cry said on Thursday that YouTube could not argue that it had no control over which videos users posted on its site. "YouTube ... are clearly able [to] filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content which is core to their business success," a statement released on his behalf said. YouTube did not immediately reply to questions e-mailed to its pressroom. In addition to YouTube, Prince also plans legal action against online auctioneer eBay and Pirate Bay, a site accused by Hollywood and the music industry as being a major source of music and film piracy. The legal action is the latest bid by the music industry to wrest back control over content in an age where file sharing, mobile phones and video sites make enforcing copyright increasingly difficult. But it is believed to be rare for an individual artist of Prince's stature to take on popular websites, while some up-and-coming performers actually encourage online file sharing to create a fan base and buzz around a record.

"Prince strongly believes artists as the creators and owners of their music need to reclaim their art," the statement added. "These actions mark a historic moment for music artists in terms of the battle to regain control of their rights on the Internet." British company Web Sheriff has been hired to help co-ordinate the action. "In the past couple of weeks we have directly removed approximately 2,000 Prince videos from YouTube," said Web Sheriff managing director John Giacobbi. "The problem is that one can reduce it to zero and then the next day there will be 100 or 500 or whatever. This carries on ad nauseam at Prince's expense," he told Reuters. He said his company had also removed around 300 items from eBay, where whole lines of pirated goods trading on Prince's name had appeared, including clocks, socks, mugs and key rings. Prince's latest initiative is likely to please record industry executives and music retailers, who have not always seen eye-to-eye with the 49-year-old. He has referred to the record industry as "the speculation business" and gave away copies of his new album "Planet Earth" for free with a British Sunday newspaper.

The UK Corner: Introducing Tor

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Fiona McKinson

(September 18, 2007) 25-year-old
Isatta Sheriff Cesay has the same name as her mother hence the nickname Tor, which means namesake in Krio (sierra Leone).  But Tor is unique. Hailing from East London, she has been making a name for herself in a bold way for example at the Urban Classics event, a one-off show which saw her rapping along with the BBC Concert Orchestra or at the live performance at the Olympic 2012 bid winner's announcement in Trafalgar Square viewed by one billion people.  She says of the former, "It felt real good. Like I was stepping into new territory. The audiences aren't as vocal and I can't say they understood everything but I feel it was a very good step into the right direction. I've kept up with musicians and an artist from Urban Classic and it's really helped me to understand the different circles that exist. 'Strivin' (one of the songs performed) ended up in a short film and I'm constantly getting work due to the exposure it gave us.  "The 2012 Olympic announcement was surreal. One second I was in the tube station trying to figure out if I had enough coins to get on the tube, the next second I was sharing a dressing room mirror with (Olympian) Kelly Holmes and (pop star) Rachel Stevens. I went on after her and before (former spice girl) Mel C. London had just been announced as the winners and everyone was jumping around and screaming. I had to go on stage right after it had been announced while everyone was still celebrating. The three Red Devil planes flew over the stage while I was performing...I felt like Michael Jackson-ha ha!" Tor signed a five-album deal with Go Beat in 2001. Following financial difficulties at the label, she was left to find a new route to her dream.

She says, "Back then things were different for me. Things were happening for a number of years, but its now that I feel focused, especially in regard to solo material. I was getting good feedback from labels, but they had a different vision to me, for my music. "It didn't really hit me at the time. I was too young to understand what a big deal having a record deal was. To me it was just better studios and cars everywhere. You get spoilt but the music wasn't there. I wasn't enjoying music anymore and I couldn't stand some of the "Industry" people I came across.  "By the time Go!Beat went down, I was already really fed up with it all. I really liked my MD and didn't blame him for how things turned out. I even called him to say "Hey man, sorry about what happened to your label"! He was like "Don't worry, It's happened to me twice before". He was cool though, he signed Keane a couple of years later "Don't call it a come back" ha! If anything it's inspired me. "Right after we all got dropped I went to stay with my best friend in Vegas for five weeks. Not because I was upset but because I needed to enjoy life a little. I had been stuck in a situation for two years where people didn't know what to do with me.  I was too young and needed to nurture my talent. I was a pirate radio MC who knew how to write bars for days, but not make tracks. "I've been enjoying and learning my craft since then and now I'm ready. I want it more and know how to get it and hold onto it. Put it this way, back then, I was having a dilemma about whether I was going to audition for dance colleges or take a major deal...I wouldn't be in no dilemma now trust me!" Tor has now teamed up with UK producer, DJ Mentat. Mentat, has credits including London's Skinny Man and Roots Manuva, and the Platinum selling Canibus. She has won support from influential UK DJs from Radio 1, XFM and Kiss.

She has also appeared on Bugz In The Attic's 'Move Aside' and Ms Dynamite's 'When I Fall In Love' along with remixes, including Soundbwoy Ent's Top 20 hit, 'Never Wanna Say' and Terri Walker's 'Drawing Board'. Tor's worked with producers including Wonder (Dizzee Rascal/Sway), Ignorance (Craig David), Fusion (Estelle), Destruction (Adam F) and Rashad Smith (Biggie/Erykah Badu/Nas).  Tor's is also due to feature on the forthcoming album of former 702 member Kameelah to be released by Atlantic Records. Other collaborations include Sway who is signed to Akon's Konvict music.  Her influences range from rap to Alanis Morisette, Skin (Skunk Anansie) and Queen.  She says, "When I was studying dance, I met a lot of different people who listened to lots of different music. I realised that the likes of Queen and Skin write equally good songs as my favourite artists such as Nina Simone, Billy Holiday and the Motown greats. I can flip the script to suit all genres but these artists aren't what I'm about. I hope when people hear what I've done with Bugz In Attic, they'll get a better grip of on me musically." I was curious about why a girl who names soul/R&B inspirations has become a rapper instead of a singer but rather than a bad voice its an undeniable passion behind that one.  "I'm a rapper at heart. I love the patterns you can make with words. I feel like singers have more space on a track to get emotional. I know rappers can too but not many take that option. They might have one or two tracks on their albums but the thug/money talk is boring to me. When I was a kid, I loved that stuff and was a little thug myself but I grew up and was like...this ain't cool.

"I still respect big rap icon's talent and still love some of their music but, it doesn't inspire me very much. Soul inspires me. I love to express the same feeling in my own way and rapping is where my voice takes me naturally." Tor released her debut single, 'Strivin' in September 2006 from her overseas compilation EP Beatz International' which also featured 'Back on the endz'.
'Strivin' was also licensed in Japan by Handcuts Records. Her debut album is due to be completed this year. Last September saw Tor travel to Australia, New Zealand and Japan to expand her recording repertoire sponsored by Red Bull music academy.  She also recorded a track with Phonte (Little Brother) and Oddissee (Jazzy Jeff's Magnificent- 'Music Lounge').  In future Tor has her eyes on working with Talib Kweli, Bjork, Lauren Hill and Kanye West. With her single released digitally in July, Tor is in good spirits about continuing to promote rap abroad but how?  "By making quality music and actually supporting one another. People are attracted to togetherness and passionate artists making the music they love.
That's how hip-hop started. People from other places see that rawness in us but we haven't quite got it together yet. Everyone's too busy competing with their next-door neighbour." Hopefully the new generation of British rappers will continue to work together to enshrine the old school attitude that Tor represents.

Visit: www.myspace.com/toruk; www.toruk.net

Singer Joins Canadian Athletes To Raise 2010 Funds

Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com - Chris Johnston, Canadian Press

(September 18, 2007) TORONTO — Singer
Suzie McNeil and freestyle skier Steve Omischl make an unlikely pair. But the two Canadians share a belief they can rise to the top of their professions and have teamed up with Bell Canada to help give Olympic athletes a reason to believe they can do the same. McNeil has released a remix of her song Believe and the proceeds will be used to support winter athletes such as Omischl ahead of the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Those will be the third Olympics for Omischl, who finished a disappointing 20th in Turin after entering the 2006 Games as the reigning world champion in aerials. He understands exactly what McNeil means when she sings "No one says it's easy." "I've won everything else in the sport except for an Olympic medal, it's all I'm really shooting for," Omischl said yesterday. "That's why this song, when I first heard it, I was, like, 'This is like my career.' " McNeil was part of the reality television series Rock Star: INXS in 2005 and was the last woman standing on the show. She sought out Bell executive Loring Phinney on her own and proposed the idea of using Believe in an Olympic campaign. That meeting got the ball rolling on the project. The "Olympic-inspired version" of the song is performed by McNeil and Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra, which was conducted by Dave Pierce. It is available for download in both English and French at http://www.bell.ca/believe. All of Bell's proceeds from the sales will go to Own The Podium, the national program designed to help Canada top the Olympic medal standings in 2010.

For audio downloads, which cost 99 cents, more than 60 per cent of the proceeds will be given to Own The Podium. For mobile audio and ringtone downloads, which are about $3, more than 80 per cent will be donated. McNeil is thrilled about how the song and accompanying video turned out. "It's out there for people to get excited about the Olympics and bring the country together," she said. "The bottom line is that we need to support out athletes so that they can win golds." Canada won a record 24 medals in Turin and finished third in the overall standings. Own The Podium estimates the country needs 35 medals to win in 2010. Omischl, who was born in North Bay and lives in Kelowna, B.C., is hoping to find his way to the Olympic podium in his adopted province. He has been a member of the national team for eight years and says the biggest difference between the Olympics and a World Cup event is the buzz. He was "blown away" in 2006 after learning that school was stopped in North Bay so kids could watch him compete. "Everybody that I've ever met in my entire life stops to watch the Olympics," Omischl said. "That's what makes it special. "There's a mystique around competing at the Olympics that everyone wants to be part of and wants to support." McNeil is now one of his biggest supporters. She recently spent two years living in Los Angeles and had a Maple Leaf tattooed on the back of her neck during that time. McNeil hopes her song will help get Canadians thinking about the Vancouver Games and allows for homegrown athletes to have the best chance at succeeding. "We are a breed unto ourselves," she said. "There's no other country like us out there." Omischl thinks Believe will do more for athletes than simply generate money for Own The Podium - he thinks it will inspire them. The 28-year-old Omischl is grateful for all the funding he receives and believes it's an essential step to success. "Without that support that we receive from Own The Podium and from sponsors like Bell, no Canadian athlete would be able to put themselves in an ideal situation to do well," he said. "You need that support. You need that backing. It's a struggle."

A Drummer's Personal Saga

Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com - Allan Maki

(September 19, 2007) Percussionist
Steve Negus is not one for doing things the traditional way. You could say he drums to the march of a different beat. Before helping found Saga, one of the legendary prog rock quintets of our time, the Hamilton-born Negus played for a heavy-metal group, a rhythm and blues group and a 1950's-style show band dubbed Bananas. Before that, he was a management trainee for the Bank of Montreal. These days, the so-hailed lord of the drums has a new project, one that coincides with Saga's 30th anniversary: He's about to release his own CD, entitled Dare to Dream. "I had all this great material and I offered it to Saga, but they weren't interested," Negus explained. "I didn't think it would take almost four years to complete, but I wanted to make a great album and I think I've done that." Negus did it his way from start to finish, by playing drums (left-handed, a rarity among his brethren), guitar and keyboards. He also produced and brought in various musicians, such as former Saga keyboardist Jim Gilmour, to help fill out the sound he wanted.

Every track on Dare to Dream is penned by Negus and singer Al Langlade. How they teamed together is a whole other saga. Looking for a little advice, Negus sent a few of his songs to Langlade, who has known Negus for years and has his own recording studio in Thunder Bay. Langlade listened to the songs, added some vocals, then shipped them back to a surprised Negus in Hamilton. The exchange was done on the Internet, with the two collaborators sending one another e-mails and files. It was the beginning of a virtual partnership. "When Al sent the songs back, I really liked his voice," Negus said. "Throughout the whole process, we were never in the same room. I'd send him a chord change and he'd send it back with a vocal change and we'd do it, say, eight or nine times each in the course of a day." Negus left Saga in the summer of 2003 bent on doing a solo CD as quickly as he could. He had been with the band from the very beginning, back when it was originally dubbed Pockets. At its height, Saga had several hits such as Wind Him Up, On the Loose and Scratching the Surface, numbers that still get considerable air play on classic rock FM stations throughout North America. Negus left the group in 1986 figuring he was done for good, only to rejoin, then quit again. Asked why he wanted out from a band that has recorded 18 albums (not counting live efforts and compilations) and is still cashing in on its popularity, Negus replied: "The charm that Saga had when we started, certainly it was progressive rock but there was an organic quality to it; the sounds we got. And that later went away.

"Saga was a shared vision, but I was sharing more of their vision than mine." Having invested his soul in Dare to Dream, Negus soon surrendered his heart. Another musical pal, guitarist Mark Severn, helped out on several songs and quickly established himself as a key contributor to Negus's vision. After watching Saga perform at the 2006 Canada Day celebration in Hamilton, Negus received a phone call telling him that Severn had been killed in a car accident. Dare to Dream is dedicated from one friend to another. "He played some wonderful solos and I miss him," Negus has written on the CD's linear notes. "It is still hard to hear some of his performances without getting teary-eyed." Dare to Dream is what Negus calls "a groove album." Some cuts are rocky; some are almost funky (catch the guitar work in Nightmare); and then there's I Rest My Case, a tasty little track where the lord gets to cut loose on the drum kit in a tribal, rhythmic manner. "Did I plan [for the CD] to come out on Saga's 30th anniversary? This is when it came together," Negus said of his project. "I've done it on my own; with my own label. I recorded it here and can distribute it over the Net off my website. I decided to take control of my own destiny. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of work to do, but I'm glad I did it. It had to be done."

MUSIC TIDBITS

Promoting Hip Hop's Bright Side

Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Associated Press

(September 14, 2007) Hip hop has such a negative connotation in some circles that some people equate it with thuggery or crime – an unfair depiction that
DMC of the legendary rap group Run-DMC is trying to dispel. "Every time – if it's pimp, pusher, drug dealer – they relate it to hip hop. Those are just elements of society. But for some reason, whether it's a dog fight, whether it's the n-word or the b-word ... It kills me," he said.  DMC aims to fight rap's bad rap by highlighting the hip-hop community's positive contributions with the J.A.M. Awards, set for Nov. 29 in New York City. Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, De La Soul, Cassidy and Snoop Dogg are among the confirmed artists. The awards will honour contributions from members of the hip-hop community in the fields of social justice, the arts and music.

T.I. Shows Why He Wears The Crown

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(September 14, 2007) *
T.I. just might be right in titling himself as the "King of The South."  The BET Hip-Hop Award nominations have just been announced and T.I. has landed on top.  The Atlanta based rapper racked in nine nominations for the second annual awards show. Last year his Majesty garnered eight nominations, and won three awards. Following right behind, Lil' Wayne is second with seven nominations.  Kanye West drew six, Common earned five, Jay-Z took home four, and Ludacris and 50 Cent got three each. "We are so glad to be back in Atlanta again for this year's version of what, in its debut, became the single hottest show in hip hop," said Stephen Hill, executive vice president of entertainment, music and talent at BET. With all the nominations being announced, let's not forget about the honouree for the night.  Mr. Hip Hop himself KRS-One, will be honoured with the "I am Hip-Hop" icon award.   KRS-One is known for his politically and socially conscious raps. Nelly, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West and Common are just a few of the expected performances.  But the main man of the hour will be comedian Katt Williams, as the host for the second time around.  The BET Hip Hop Awards will air on October 17.

Reba named Woman of the Year

Excerpt from
www.thestar.com - Associated Press

(September 17, 2007) Billboard magazine has picked
Reba McEntire for its first Woman of the Year award. The award coincides with the music magazine's Women in Music issue, due out early next month. Billboard Group editorial director Tamara Conniff says the country star was chosen for the honour because of her wide success in music, television, movies and publishing. "Reba is an inspiration to women everywhere and we are delighted to be presenting her with this award," Conniff said. McEntire, 53, has a new album of duets out next week that pairs her with such varied artists as Justin Timberlake, Don Henley, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Chesney, Carole King and Faith Hill.

Neneh Cherry Reteams With Youssou N’dour

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(September 18, 2007) *Senegalese singer
Youssou N’Dour is hoping to make magic once again with Neneh Cherry, the rapper/vocalist who graced his biggest international hit, “7 Seconds,” in 1994.  Thirteen years later, the two come back together for “Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling),” the lead single from N’Dour’s forthcoming album, "Rokku Mi Rokka" (Nonesuch/Warner). The single combines traditional African instrumentation, R&B beats and a rapped vocal from Sweden native Cherry, who is best known in the States for her 1989 hit, “Buffalo Stance.” "'7 Seconds' opened so many doors for my music, and I've always wanted to sing with Neneh again, but we didn't want to make another '7 Seconds,"' N'Dour told Billboard. "This is much more African-sounding, and it's got a strong message that the continent is not just war, poverty and AIDS; we are trying to move forward." Cherry, who splits her time between homes in Sweden and the UK, is a member of Swedish-based trip-hop act CirKus, which released debut album "Laylow" in 2006 on its own Tent Music label.

::TIFF NEWS::

Eastern Promises wins People's Choice Award at TIFF

Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com - Laim Lacey

(September 15, 2007)
Eastern Promises, a London-set thriller by director David Cronenberg, won the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which closed on Saturday after screening 349 films over 10 days. The award came with a $15,000 prize. The top Canadian award went to Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg. Eastern Promises, which stars Viggo Mortensen as a Russian gangster and Naomi Watts as a midwife who finds an incriminating diary. Because Cronenberg was busy doing promotion for the film in New York, the award was accepted by Cronenberg's long-time distributor and colleague, Victor Loewy, who reported that Eastern Promises, which opened in limited release on Friday, was currently No. 1 in each of the multiplexes where it is playing. The first runner-up for the People's Choice award was a film by another Canadian, Jason Reitman. His comedy, Juno, stars Ellen Page as a pregnant teenager who decides to give her baby to a yuppie couple.

The second runner-up was Body of War, a documentary by Ellen Spiro and former talk show host Phil Donahue about a year in the life of a paralyzed Iraq war veteran and political activist. The Toronto-CITY Award jury picked Maddin's film as the best Canadian feature, which carries a $30,000 cash award. The film, described by Maddin as a “docu-fantasia”, blending silent footage and melodrama in a poetic meditation on Maddin's hometown. The jury cited My Winnipeg as a film that “within its specific, personal vision finds a universal appeal.” In accepting the award, Maddin offered a “heartfelt thanks” to the Toronto Film Festival, with which he has been associated over his 20-year filmmaking career. He referred to the years leading up to the prize a long “mating ritual that has culminated in this moment, a consummation of sorts.” Maddin also thanked his family for “allowing me to vivisect them. I promise I won't do it again.” Producer Jody Shapiro announced the film has three new international distribution deals (with IFC Entertainment in the United States, Soda Pictures in the United Kingdom and Maximum Films in Canada). Shapiro also made a point of thanking Michael Burns, formerly the director of programming for the Documentary Channel before its recent take-over by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “Without Michael this film wouldn't have been made. It was his idea."

Shapiro said the award represented a significant first for Maddin in that it “puts him in the history books at this festival.” The $15,000 CITY-TV prize for best Canadian first feature film went to Stephane Lafleur's Continental, Un film sans fusil (Continental, A Film without Guns), which follows four lonely characters in a mixture of absurdity and pathos. Lafleur has had three previous short film at the festival before this feature film debut. The Canadian short film prize of $10,000 went to Chris Chong Chan Fui's Pool. Other winning films included two Mexican offerings. The Diesel Discovery Award, voted on by the 1,000 members of the international media attending the festival, went to Cochochi, from directors Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman. The film is about two brothers who become separated when attempting to deliver a package to a faraway community. The award from the International Critics Association (FIRPRESCI Prize) to an emerging filmmaker went to Rodrigo Pla for La Zona, a revenge drama set around a gated community in Mexico City. The Artistic Innovation award went to another Spanish-language film, Anahi Berneri's Encarnacion, an Argentinean film about an aging actress who returns to her hometown, which was cited by the jury for its for its “critique of mainstream cinema” and issues around the “fetishization of the female body.”

Directors Let Music Do The Talking

Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Peter Howell, Movie Critic

(September 14, 2007)
Anton Corbijn is in denial, but you can't blame the guy. The rock photographer turned film director says his movie Control, which is about the rock band Joy Division and its tragic singer Ian Curtis, is "not a music film, at least not in my eyes." He calls it a "personal" film, whatever that means, but most viewers of Control will take it as a musical biopic. Just as they will the documentary Joy Division by Grant Gee, which like Control has been screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Corbijn's problem with labels is forgivable, because it's possible that no film genre is more misunderstood or mismanaged than the pop music movie.  For starters, there is the technical difficulty of putting a three-dimensional concert experience within a two-dimensional frame. But the biggest problem is establishing the conceptual parameters. How do you nail down an art form, as John Lennon once observed, that can best be described by the little Richard scream, "A wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom!" Frank Zappa – or was is Elvis Costello? – once said of rock journalism that "writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

The absurdity doubles for films about music, which have evolved over the decades from sheer economic exploitation – think of all those corny Elvis movies – into something that unsteadily attempts to combine scholarship, creativity and fan worship into one unsteady package. This current edition of TIFF offers a wealth of selections to test the thesis. Movies about Bob Dylan (I'm Not There), The Beatles (Across the Universe), The Who (Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who) and Lou Reed (Lou Reed's Berlin) join the two Joy Division films on the festival slate, each of them alternately bolstering and dismantling various rock legends to arguable effect. Todd Haynes' I'm Not There is the bravest – or maybe craziest – of the lot, since he approaches Dylan on the rock bard's own fractious terms. Dylan has forever dodged easy pigeonholing of his work and persona, to the point of inventing names and events that have muddied his many biographies and even his own autobiography. And Haynes rolls with that deception. He employs six different actors, of varying ages and sexes, to imitate and elucidate Dylan at various stages of his career. Some of it works – especially Cate Blanchett as the Blonde On Blonde-era Bob – and much of it doesn't, but Haynes at least recognizes Dylan as the most indefinable of pop icons, and he stays true to that vision. Julie Taymor's Across the Universe goes to opposite extremes by painting literal interpretations of Beatles songs. More interested in making a visual statement than an intellectual one, she presents the music of the Fab Four as a series of glittering fragments, none of them adding up to a recognizable whole. It's the rock movie for people with short attention spans and a taste for the obvious.

Next to these radical interpretations of rock artists, the old-school biographical format of Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, by Paul Crowder and Murray Lerner, comes as a something of soother for people who just want a straight-up account of a favourite band. Crowder and Lerner haven't exactly reinvented the wheel here, and their work doesn't exceed the earlier documentary The Kids Are Alright, but the scholarship and archival footage are impressive, especially the material from the band's earliest incarnations as The Detours and The High Numbers. The two Joy Division movies lie somewhere between art and journalism, Corbijn's Control more the former and Gee's Joy Division more the latter. Control offers dramatic insights into why the band's frontman, Ian Curtis, committed suicide at age 23 in 1980, just as his gloom-rock quartet was on the brink of international success. Sam Riley offers a spooky portrayal of Curtis that deserves attention come awards time. Joy Division, meanwhile, sticks to the known facts, but it includes interviews with surviving band member Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris that shine welcome new light onto one of rock's most legendary and mysterious bands. Achieving closure is also the impetus for Lou Reed's Berlin, a film by Julian Schnabel that, on the face of it, is simply that most basic of rock film products, the concert movie. It's a no-frills document of a series of shows Reed gave last year over five nights in Brooklyn, in which he performed live for the first time the songs from his 1973 album Berlin, a landmark of poetic rage and loss. Reed, the former Velvet Underground leader, had been wounded by savage early reviews of Berlin and abandoned plans for live performances. It took his 33 years to muster his nerve, but the wait was worth it. Backed by an impeccable band and a gospel-infused youth choir, he delivers a masterpiece of artful despair that alerts the brain even as it heads straight for the soul. Which, come to think of it, is the best kind of rock, on or off the screen.

Peter Howell is a movie critic at the Star who has covered the Toronto International Film Festival since 1991. His column runs alternate Fridays in the Entertainment & Movies section.

Homeless Man Film Fest's Hottest Celebrity

Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Tim Lai, Entertainment Reporter

(September 14, 2007) The media circus swirling through Yorkville yesterday wasn't chasing an elusive movie star, but an enigmatic homeless man whom many of his brethren describe as having "a bar of gold up his ass." Still, they wonder how long his luck will hold.
 The talk of the avenues of luxury – Dave, who goes by the street name "Stress" – was nowhere to be seen at his regular spot in Yorkville, planted outside Remys. On Wednesday, Cassandra's Dream star Colin Farrell took Stress on a shopping spree at a camping store and supposedly fronted his rent for up to a year.  It's not the first time Stress has benefited from the movie heartthrob. A few years back, Farrell picked Stress as the winner of a $2,000 radio contest, but he apparently blew it quickly on drugs. Stress has another strike-it-rich story, but fellow Outreach newspaper seller, Steven, said that tale is one kept to themselves.  "He draws good luck," said Steven, who enjoyed a successful day selling papers, since media and celebrity hounds pestered him with questions about the now-notorious Stress. "I don't want him back on the streets. He got a lottery ticket and it's the best thing. He needed it."  His story was apparently the most-read online at the Toronto Sun. Stress's street celebrity grew throughout the day as rumours about his whereabouts churned out faster than some celebrity blogs.

Some people on the street said they had heard he was trying to double up at Casino Rama or in Niagara Falls. Others said he flew the coop for the U.S. Many figure this loner will be back on the street soon enough, though – but ducking low for his own safety.
 "Thank God (for) Colin Farrell. And more people should do that," Steven said.  "For someone to take you off the streets and give you something like that, that's a gift."  Steven said Stress's story made it hip yesterday to give homeless people money, a much better perception than being labelled a murderer, referring to the recent case in which Ross Hammond of St. Catharines died of stab wounds inflicted by alleged panhandlers.  He added he has had his own financial windfalls from celebrities. During previous festivals, he said, Robin Williams and Bruce Willis each dropped him a few hundred.  But, compared to others, Steven was tight-lipped about Stress.  "We call him `Stress' because he stresses people out. He's not all there. He has his, you know, problems. He's a recovering alcoholic and (crack) addict," claimed Shorty, who's usually planted across the street from Sassafraz.  "I'm pissed off he got all this money and all this good stuff, but I have to be happy for him." Despite hopes he's wrong, Shorty expects to see Stress back on the street because of his addictions. Shorty said if there were more resources put into detox and rehab centres, then perhaps this fresh start could be sustained.  "He's got a disease like the rest of us," said Shorty, who saw Stress's high-end sleeping bag, one of his gifts from Farrell, a few hours after it was purchased.

Even Non-TIFF Movies Got Deals

Excerpt from
www.thestar.com -

(September 17, 2007) The
Toronto International Film Festival, which ended a 10-day cinematic orgy on Saturday, is not just about movie lovers lining up on the sidewalk, glitzy parties and Hollywood celebrities strutting the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall. It is also about round-the-clock business deal-making. About 3,200 buyers and sellers were registered with TIFF's sales office. And though there were no mega-bidding wars this time, the volume of distribution rights sold is in the $50 million to $60 million range. But perhaps the most intriguing deal of all does not involve a completed movie that was screened at the festival. It's the deal that Toronto producer Niv Fichman inked with Miramax for Blindness – a $25 million Canada/Brazil/Japan co-venture currently being filmed. And it's an indication that this festival has become a sophisticated film market, where anything goes. According to the trade paper The Hollywood Reporter, Miramax has agreed to pay $5 million for U.S. distribution rights now, rather than wait until they see the finished movie. The story concerns a mysterious plague of blindness that devastates a city. A small group of the afflicted band together to overcome the horrific conditions of their quarantine. Fichman, a Rhombus Media co-founder who is best known internationally for his 1998 epic The Red Violin, was represented at this year's TIFF with Silk – another expensive epic (co-produced with partners in Japan and France), screened in the Special Presentations section and set to be released theatrically by Alliance Films.

It took Fichman eight years to get Blindness into production. It was Don McKellar – who works frequently with Fichman –who suggested making a movie of the disturbing novel. In 1999 Fichman and McKellar flew to the Canary Islands and talked the Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author José Saramago into giving them the film rights. The script was written by McKellar (who won a Tony for The Drowsy Chaperone). One of the author's conditions: the film must not be set in any recognizable country. Fichman made a deal with co-producers in Brazil and Japan and signed Fernando Meirelles (City of God and The Constant Gardener) to direct. Shooting began in and around Toronto six weeks ago and moves to South America in mid-October. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo play two of the victims who have been imprisoned in an insane asylum. Among Canadians in the cast are Maury Chaykin, Susan Coyne, Martha Burns and McKellar. My guess: Blindness will have its world premiere as the opening TIFF gala in September 2008. Bravo for Burns When director Guy Maddin accepted his $30,000 prize for My Winnipeg – a jury's choice as best Canadian feature at the festival – he took the chance to praise Michael Burns, the former Documentary Channel programming director who came up with the idea and commissioned Maddin to make it (on a $600,000 budget). Just a week before the movie had its premiere at TIFF – to an ecstatic pro-Winnipeg audience – Burns was fired by the CBC, which recently gained control of the channel. Apparently, imaginative films that win prizes are not what the CBC wants. Perhaps its brass prefer to take revenue flowing from the channel's subscribers and old docs from the archives. Burns, who is in Romania, was not present at the awards bash, but is sure to be savouring the vindication. PRIME-TIME MADNESS The biggest glitch of TIFF '07 happened at Thursday's late Roy Thomson Hall gala. The movie: The Walker. The right first reel was followed by the wrong second reel, so the projection abruptly stopped. After 20 minutes, hundreds of people left. Then director Paul Schrader and star Lauren Bacall did an entertaining Q&A to keep the crowd happy until the screening resumed. Last year, the audience was sent home after the projection for Borat went awry at a Midnight Madness screening.

::FILM NEWS::

Paltrow On Comeback Trail

Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com - Mike Collett-White, Reuters

(September 16, 2007) LONDON — Actress
Gwyneth Paltrow is on