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LE NEWSLETTER

June 5, 2008

Ahhhh ... June!  How great is summer in Toronto?  Not to mention the rest of our great nation!  Mark your calendars for (and what a great Father's Day gift!) the Diary of Black Men at the Sony Centre on Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st. 

Lots of great Canadian news below mixed with lots of global entertainment news! 

Scroll down and find out what interests you - take your time and take a walk into your weekly entertainment news!

::HOT EVENTS::

The Diary Of Black Men: “How Do You Love A Black Woman?” Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st

Profile Entertainment presents Thomas Meloncon’s The Diary of Black Men on Friday, June 20th and Saturday June 21st  at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.  The shows start at 8:00 p.m.

The Diary of Black Men delivers a strong emotive message about the relationships between black men and women.   The play provides an opportunity for both men and women to see the other’s side of the relationship issues.   

Six male actors portray the different characters: The Working Man, The Black Muslim, The Player, The Black Revolutionary, the Professional and “Slick.”  There is one woman in the play who plays a representative role and does not have any speaking lines.

Audiences will experience side-splitting humour, anger and déjà as they relate to the different vignettes played out on stage.

Billed as a “must see” for the black community, the play has had successful box office records and is considered a phenomenon by theatre audiences across the world. Since 1983, the play has been touring and entertaining audiences in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the Caribbean.

Not only is The Diary of Black Men an entertaining theatrical performance but it is informative, educational and worthy of the many accolades it has received over the years,

Following the highly successful run of Umoja, Profile Entertainment now brings Toronto theatre audiences the longest touring play in African-American history, The Diary of Black Men.

Makes a Great Fathers Day Gift!

FRIDAY, JUNE 20 AND SATURDAY, JUNE 21
THE DIARY OF BLACK MEN
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
1 Front St. E. (corner of Yonge & Front St.)
Prices are: $67.50, 57.50, $47.50 and $37.50.
Tickets: (416) 872-2262 or CLICK HERE
For Group rates call 416.751.1717

::TOP STORIES::

Canucks Defenceman Luc Bourdon Killed

Source: www.thestar.com - The Associated Press

(May 29, 2008) SHIPPAGAN, N.B.–Luc Bourdon, a promising rookie defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, was killed Thursday when his motorcycle struck a tractor-trailer in a crash near his hometown. He was 21.

His death was confirmed by sister Eve Bourdon and stepmother Maryse Godin. Both declined further comment when reached at the family's home in Shippagan.

Police wouldn't confirm the identity of the victim but said a motorcyclist was killed in the early afternoon on a road between Shippagan and Lameque.

"Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement. "He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice."

Bourdon's agent, Kent Hughes, called his client a winner and a competitor.

"There was no quit in him," said Hughes, who knew Bourdon since the player was 15. "He persevered through a lot. He was a great guy and a great teammate."

Bourdon was the first-round draft pick of the Canucks in 2005, selected 10th overall. He split time this season with the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In 27 games with the Canucks, he scored twice and had no assists.

"Through hard work and perseverance, Luc was able to realize his dream of becoming an NHL player," Paul Kelly, executive director of the players' union. "Luc had a promising life and career ahead of him and he will certainly be missed."

Bourdon played on the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2006 world junior hockey championship in Vancouver and made the tournament's all-star team. He helped Canada win another gold at the 2007 tournament in Sweden.

Bourdon played for Val d'Or, Moncton and Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before turning pro.

Actor Harvey Korman Dead At 81

Source: www.globeandmail.com - Bob Thomas, Associated Press

(May 29, 2008) LOS ANGELES — Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to The Carol Burnett Show and played a conniving politician to hilarious effect in Blazing Saddles, died Thursday. He was 81.

Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said. He had undergone several major operations.

“He was a brilliant comedian and a brilliant father,” daughter Kate Korman said in a telephone interview. “He had a very good sense of humour in real life. “

A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on The Danny Kaye Show, appearing in skits with the star. He joined the show in its second season in 1964 and continued until it was cancelled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of The Carol Burnett Show.

Burnett and Korman developed into the perfect pair with their burlesques of classic movies such as Gone With the Wind and soap operas like As the World Turns (their version was called As the Stomach Turns).

Another recurring skit featured them as “Ed and Eunice,” a staid married couple who were constantly at odds with the wife's mother (a young Vickie Lawrence in a grey wig). In Old Folks at Home, they were a combative married couple bedevilled by Lawrence as Burnett's troublesome young sister.

Korman revealed the secret to the long-running show's success in a 2005 interview: “We were an ensemble, and Carol had the most incredible attitude. I've never worked with a star of that magnitude who was willing to give so much away.”

Burnett was devastated by Korman's death, said her assistant, Angie Horejsi.

“She loved Harvey very much,” Horejsi said.

After 10 successful seasons, Korman left Burnett's show in 1977 for his own series. Dick Van Dyke took his place, but the chemistry was lacking and the Burnett show was cancelled two years later. The Harvey Korman Show also failed, as did other series starring the actor.

“It takes a certain type of person to be a television star,” he said in that 2005 interview. “I didn't have whatever that is. I come across as kind of snobbish and maybe a little too bright. ... Give me something bizarre to play or put me in a dress and I'm fine.”

His most memorable film role was as the outlandish Hedley Lamarr (who was endlessly exasperated when people called him Hedy) in Mel Brooks' 1974 Western satire, Blazing Saddles.

“A world without Harvey Korman – it's a more serious world,” Brooks said on Thursday. “It was very dangerous for me to work with him because if our eyes met we'd crash to floor in comic ecstasy. It was comedy heaven to make Harvey Korman laugh.”

He also appeared in the Brooks comedies High Anxiety, The History of the World Part I and Dracula: Dead and Loving It, as well as two Pink Panther movies, Trail of the Pink Panther in 1982 and Curse of the Pink Panther in 1983.

Korman's other films included Gypsy, Huckleberry Finn (as the King), Herbie Goes Bananas and Bud and Lou (as legendary straightman Bud Abbott to Buddy Hackett's Lou Costello). He also provided the voice of Dictabird in the 1994 live-action feature The Flintstones.

In television, Korman guest-starred in dozens of series including The Donna Reed Show, Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, The Wild Wild West, The Muppet Show, The Love Boat, The Roseanne Show and Burke's Law.

In their '70s, he and Tim Conway, one of his Burnett show co-stars, toured the country with their show Tim Conway and Harvey Korman: Together Again. They did 120 shows a year, sometimes as many as six or eight in a weekend.

Korman had an operation in late January on a non-cancerous brain tumour and pulled through “with flying colours,” Kate Korman said. Less than a day after coming home, he was re-admitted because of the ruptured aneurysm and was given a few hours to live. But he survived for another four months.

“He fought until the very end. He didn't want to die. He fought for months and months,” said Kate Korman.

Harvey Herschel Korman was born Feb. 15, 1927, in Chicago. He left college for service in the U.S. Navy, resuming his studies afterward at the Goodman School of Drama at the Chicago Art Institute. After four years, he decided to try New York.

“For the next 13 years I tried to get on Broadway, on off-Broadway, under or beside Broadway,” he told a reporter in 1971.

He had no luck and had to support himself as a restaurant cashier. Finally, in desperation, he and a friend formed a nightclub comedy act.

“We were fired our first night in a club, between the first and second shows,” he recalled.

After returning to Chicago, Korman decided to try Hollywood, reasoning that “at least I'd feel warm and comfortable while I failed.”

For three years he sold cars and worked as a doorman at a movie theatre. Then he landed the job with Kaye.

In 1960, Korman married Donna Elhart and they had two children, Maria and Christopher. They divorced in 1977. Two more children, Katherine and Laura, were born of his 1982 marriage to Deborah Fritz.

In addition to his daughter Kate, he is survived by his wife and the three other children.

40,000 Videos, Reels Destroyed In Universal Studios Fire

Source: www.thestar.com - Associated Press

(June 01, 2008) UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.–A large fire tore through a back lot at Universal Studios early Sunday, destroying a set from Back to the Future, the King Kong exhibit and thousands of videos and reels in a vault.

The blaze broke out on a sound stage at the theme park in a set featuring New York brownstones facades around 4:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. EST, at the 400-acre property, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said. The fire was contained to the lot but still burning several hours later.

Roughly 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels were in the video vault, but there are duplicates stored in a different location, said Ron Meyer, NBC Universal president and chief operating officer. Firefighters managed to recover hundreds of those titles from the vault.

"Nothing is lost forever," Meyer said.

The videos included every film that Universal has produced and footage from television series including Miami Vice and I Love Lucy.

The iconic courthouse square from Back to the Future was also destroyed, Freeman said, and the famous clock tower that enabled Michael J. Fox's character to travel through time was damaged.

Two mock New York and New England streets used both for movie-making and as tourist displays were a total loss, said Darryl Jacobs, Los Angeles County fire inspector.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and no initial damage estimates were given.

The park reopened on Sunday afternoon. On a typical weekend day about 25,000 people visit Universal Studios.

However, studio tram tours planned to avoid the King Kong attraction, a favourite stop where the ape bellows at passengers and an artificial banana scent fills the air, said Universal Studios spokesperson Eliot Sekuler.

Hundreds of visitors waited outside the park gates Sunday morning, where acrid smoke lingered, providing an eerie backdrop. Fire officials didn't believe air quality would pose a health hazard to the public.

Mike Herrick of San Diego watched the fire on television from his hotel before deciding to return to Universal Studios for a second day with his wife.

"By gosh, we're going to go and get whatever we can out of it," Herrick said. On Saturday, Herrick had ridden the tram that winds around the studio lot, snapping photos of the King Kong attraction, among other sights.

The fire will not affect the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, which is to be broadcast live Sunday night from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, according to the music network.

The fire broke out along New York Street, where firefighting helicopters swept in for drops and cranes dumped thousands of gallons of water on flames in the early morning. More than 100 firefighters worked to ensure the flames didn't spread to nearby brush.

At least one building had burned and as many as three blocks of movie facades were destroyed, Jacobs said. A thick column of smoke rose thousands of feet into the air.

At one point the blaze was two city blocks wide, and low water pressure forced firefighters to get reserves from lakes and ponds on the property. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

"The water pressure situation was a challenge," Freeman said. ``This fire moved extremely fast.''

Universal Studio, 14 kilometres north of downtown Los Angeles, has thrill rides and a back lot where movies and television shows are filmed, including scenes from War of the Worlds, When Harry Met Sally and Scrubs.

A commercial shoot was going on when the fire broke out, Sekuler said.

A major fire erupted at Universal Studios in November 1990, destroying sets for several TV and movie productions, including Dick Tracy and The Sting and causing $25 million in damage. A security guard was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to starting the blaze.

We Remember Bo Diddley

Source:  www.eurweb.com

(June 3, 2008) *Rock 'n' roll pioneer Bo Diddley, whose hits include such timeless classics as "Who Do You Love," and "Before You Accuse Me," died Monday of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida. He was 79. In May 2007, Diddley suffered a stroke during a concert in Iowa and was hospitalized in Omaha, Nebraska. In August 2007 he had a heart attack in Florida.  More than 35 of his family members were at his home when he died at about 1:45 a.m. His passing was not unexpected, according to Diddley's grandson Garry Mitchell. "There was a gospel song that was sang and he said 'wow' with a thumbs up," Mitchell told Reuters, when asked to describe the scene at Diddley's deathbed. "The song was 'Walk Around Heaven' and in his last words he stated that he was going to heaven." Diddley's career in rock-n-roll spanned more than five decades and was distinguished by his special rumba-like rhythm, which came to be known as the "Bo Diddley beat."  Toting a signature rectangle guitar, Diddley and contemporaries Chuck Berry and Little Richard were among a pioneering group of black recording artists who crossed the American racial divide with music that appealed to white audiences and was emulated by white performers. The artist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and collected a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1998. Born Ellas Bates in 1928 in McComb, Mississippi, he took the last name McDaniel from his adoptive mother, and played classical violin as a boy. He was given the nickname Bo Diddley as a teenager after moving to Chicago, where he started playing music on street corners in the 1940s. His agency said public and private services are planned for this weekend.

Barack Obama Is The Democratic Presidential Nominee

Source: www.eurweb.com

(June 4, 2008) *It's official. Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama can now say he is the Democratic Party's nominee to run against the Republican Party's nominee John McCain in November.

Obama's claim to the nomination is also historic because it marks the first time that a black person has ever headed the ticket of a major American political party.

"America, this is our moment," the 46-year-old senator said in his first appearance as the Democratic nominee-in-waiting. "This is our time; our time to turn the page on the policies of the past."  (Read the full text of Obama's nomination victory speech here.)

Meanwhile, his Democratic opponent, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton praised him in an appearance before her supporters, although she neither acknowledged his victory in their gruelling march through the primaries nor did she offer any concessions.

Instead, she said she was committed to a unified party, and said she would spend the next few days determining "how to move forward with the best interests of our country and our party guiding my way."

But at what price? Or more succinctly, what does she want? That's what a lot of watchers are asking. Of course the general thinking is that the former First Lady is angling for a spot on the ticket as Obama's vice presidential running mate.

Meanwhile, Obama's victory set up a five-month campaign with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a race between a first-term Senate opponent of the Iraq War and a 71-year-old Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current U.S. military mission.

McCain spoke first, in New Orleans, and he accused his younger rival of voting "to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job" in Iraq." Americans, he added, should be concerned about the judgment of a presidential candidate who has not traveled to Iraq yet "says he's ready to talk, in person and without conditions, with tyrants from Havana to Pyongyang."

McCain agreed with Obama that the presidential race would focus on change.

"But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said.

Obama responded quickly, pausing in his own speech long enough to praise Clinton for "her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight."

As for his general election rival, he said, "It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year. It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. ... And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians."

Obama sealed his nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and support from party "superdelegates." It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention in Denver this summer, and Obama had 2,154 by the AP count.

::TRAVEL NEWS::

South Africa Reserve Is One Wild Neighbourhood

Source: www.thestar.com - Michael Benedict, Special To The Star

(May 29, 2008) PHINDA, South Africa–The two sets of eyes in the tall grass reflect the beams from our open 4x4's headlights. Little else is visible in the downpour that we all agree later is one of the worst any of us have ever endured. But a bolt of lightning reveals something even closer – a lion, lying just two metres away.

Much too close for comfort, I think, knowing there is no time for our ranger to grab the rifle mounted in front of the steering wheel, let alone get off a shot should the beast decide he wants to dine in the rain.

But he and the two lionesses in front could not care less about their night-time intruders.

Still, I find unsettling my first major contact in the wild, despite our earlier briefing from Ranger Mo.

"The animals see only the vehicle," he assures us. "As far as they're concerned, the 4x4 is neither prey nor a predator. Just don't stand up or make any sudden movement that will make the animal focus on you as a human."

Mo adds, "Humans are considered a threat."

A few hours later, now dry and sipping a beer, Mo sympathizes with the lion.

"That poor guy," he says, "was trying to keep warm by putting his paws underneath his body. I've never seen a lion so unhappy."

I hadn't noticed.

We are visiting Forest Lodge at Phinda Private Game Reserve, a luxury 16-room eco-tourism resort in KwaZulu-Natal province in northeast South Africa. There are four of us, including my wife and two teenage boys.

The magic of Phinda begins seconds after a guard opens the gate into the 25,000-hectare (250 square kilometres) reserve. We drive less than 50 metres before seeing the first of many nyala, an antelope with such striking differences between the male and female that they seem to belong to different species. Warthogs scamper across the dirt road on our five-minute drive to Forest Lodge, one of six small resorts in the award-winning (for conservation, community work and accommodation) reserve where we are staying for two nights.

There is no cumbersome registration procedure – we are expected. The open dining area overlooks a field where impala are grazing.

"Please remember to stay on the paths at all times," says Mo. "And after dark, don't go anywhere without a security guard."

Phinda opened in 1991 and just one visitor has been lost since then, a French woman who ignored the rules and wandered off on her own at night and stumbled upon a pride of lions.

We meet Mo that afternoon at four for our first game drive. Luckily, no one else is assigned to him and his tracker, Zidele Dlamini. All three rows of seats in the Land Rover are ours.

Zidele, 39, an anti-poaching unit veteran, is perched on a jump seat extending from the car's front. He swings his head back and forth as he points out a zebra here or a purple-breasted turaco there.

"He's our eyes and ears," says Mo. "He knows how the animals think."

Mo will drive us in search of any animal, or anything else for that matter, that interests us. Our desires are fairly typical: lions, elephants, giraffes and cheetah.

"Okay," he says, "let's go," the clouds darkening above.

Within half an hour we find a rare black rhino, one of several species that Phinda has helped rehabilitate. There are just 4,000 left in the world. A bonus: there's also a white rhino mom with her calf. We drive into the high grass to get a closer look. Out of respect for the flora, rangers drive off road only for big cats or black rhinos.

"You're really spoiled," Mo tells us. "I've tracked black rhino for three days without finding one."

The sun has set, and rain is beginning to fall. There is lightning here and there, but not too close. Are we still interested in pursuing an earlier lion sighting? Sure, why not.

Within moments we are climbing a plateau. The road has all but disappeared. The car gets stuck between some rocks. Mo wants to get out and survey the situation. But Zidele shakes his head no, motions for him to remain seated and points ahead to the pair of eyes.

Mo joins us for a tasty kudu casserole dinner. Born and raised in Durban, Mo, 32, is a former surf shop manager who has been coming to the bush since he was six months old. To qualify as a ranger, he underwent more than six months of rigorous training. For one of his final tests, he had to take 12-hour, unarmed walks for 10 days in a row.

"A rifle gives you a false sense of security," he says. "You need to learn how to use your eyes and ears to understand the signs of the wild."

One day, he stumbled upon a lion.

"He let me know I was too close, so I walked around him." Another time, he climbed a tree to let some water buffalo and rhinos pass.

Wake-up call at Phinda is at 5:30 a.m. for a six o'clock drive, after a cup of tea and biscuit. Today, we are on a cheetah hunt. It doesn't take long to pinpoint a mother and two cubs. But, typical of cats, they lie and sleep for 20 hours a day.

Nearby, we find the lions from last night. They have moved some five kilometres from their stormy hilltop, but they, too, are simply resting.

We stop for coffee in the bush. In less than a minute, Mo and Zidele combine to unfold a table, with tablecloth, and an array of drinks, both hot and cold. I have begun to relax, no longer looking warily over my shoulder.

We have now seen two of the so-called Big Five: lions and rhinos. The others in this group, named by early big-game hunters for their difficulty to track down and kill, are buffalo, elephants and leopards.

"But there's so much more here than the Big Five," says Mo. "There's smaller animals; there's the trees, the birds, the butterflies and snakes. If you appreciate that, the bush is a never-ending storybook."

On our final outing, we hope for elephants. Unfortunately, Phinda's main herd has moved that day into a no-man's valley, inaccessible even to 4x4s. But a radio call from another ranger alerts us to two wandering bulls.

We speed off, whizzing by giraffes, zebras and various antelope that are now becoming old hat.

Zidele examines some dung, but it's hours old and elephants, unlike most of the other animals we have been pursuing, don't travel in predictable paths. Mo wants to drive one way, but Zidele waves him off and tells him to turn the car around. As he does, my younger boy beats Zidele to the punch.

"I see it," he shouts. And there it is, swinging its trunk at the leaves on a slope several hundred metres away. We admire his majesty through our binoculars before heading off.

In less than a minute, Zidele stops us again. He sees a rare sight: a cheetah on the move. We follow alongside. The cheetah barely notices. We circle ahead of him and wait as he approaches and marches elegantly by, just a couple of metres away. Mo points to his distended stomach and tells us, to my relief, that he is in no imminent need of food.

Four hours later, Mo drives us to the 1,000-metre private airstrip where a Cessna takes us on the two-hour flight to Johannesburg and the journey home. As we take off, we see Mo at the end of the runway, shooing away the giraffes and warthogs.

Michael Benedict is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

::MUSIC NEWS::

HipHopCanada Launches New Digital Record Label

Source: www.hiphopcanada.com

HipHopCanada Inc., Canada�s largest national hip-hop website, announced today the expansion and continuing investment in Canadian urban artists with the launch of a new record label, HipHopCanada Digital Inc (HHC Digital). HHC Digital will be announcing its official roster shortly and will be available on 100 digital retail locations, including its own popular website, HipHopCanada.com starting July, 2008.

The label has announced it has signed an exclusive worldwide digital distribution agreement via KOCH Entertainment. KOCH Entertainment Canada is the leading independent audio and video distributor in Canada. KOCH Entertainment Canada is a division of publicly traded global independent entertainment content ownership and distribution company Entertainment One Ltd.

Emerging artists within the HHC community will have new opportunities in both the domestic and international marketplace via HHC Digital's distribution arrangement with KOCH. Co-President of HipHopCanada Digital and Founder of HipHopCanada.com, Jesse Plunkett commented on the overall objective of introducing the new label, �Building on KOCH's past successes at digital retail and focused marketing and promotion, HHC's upcoming digital release schedule will introduce the largest catalogue of high quality Canadian hip-hop to the international marketplace."

Dominique Zgarka, President of KOCH Entertainment Canada and KOCH Digital says, �The addition of HipHopCanada.com to our growing list of independent labels is a clear indication of the importance of digital distribution for the indie market, the fastest growing segment of the music industry today. We expect significant revenue growth as this market expands and more signings of this nature as we move forward. We welcome HipHopCanada to our family.� KOCH digital represents some of the world's finest labels including Metal Blade, Relapse, Savoy, Denon, Stones Thro, Decon, SMC Recordings, Green Street, Thrive, Tilt Rock, DPTV, Fat Beats, and KOCH Records among others.

"KOCH is a major force in music distribution, and we are thrilled that they share our vision to strengthen the opportunities for hip-hop artists from Canada," said Maurice Laurin, HipHopCanada Digital's Co-President. "We believe selling digital music on a worldwide level is definitely a step in the right direction for the growth of Canadian hip-hop."

"HipHopCanada has built up a strong brand and core relationships within the urban community in Canada. We're excited about this deal with them and hope it can be a launching pad for Canadian urban artists," says KOCH Entertainment Label Manager Jay Devonish.

About HipHopCanada Digital Inc.

HipHopCanada Digital Inc. is a Canadian urban record label and was officially launched in May of 2008. The label is brought to you by the people behind Canada�s leading online hip-hop publication and community, HipHopCanada.com. The website has been awarded the honour of �Best Online Publication� on numerous occasions at the Canadian Urban Music Awards and has been featured and/or referenced on Canada�s largest news networks on several occasions including CBC, GlobalTV, CTV, CityTV, the National Post, and MuchMusic.

About KOCH Entertainment

Independent Distributor of the Year (1996 - 2002, 2004-2007)

The North American operation of KOCH Entertainment is the dominant force in independent music and video distribution. KOCH Entertainment Canada is home to various diverse audio lines such as Metal Blade, Relapse Records, Hopeless Records, Putumayo, Smithsonian Folkways, DPTV, Savoy Jazz, Stones Throw Records, VP Records, Duck Down Records and many more.

About Entertainment One (LSE: ETO)

Admitted to trading on AIM on 29 March 2007, Entertainment One Ltd's strategy is to build a leading global independent entertainment content ownership and distribution business which acquires films, television programs and music content and exploits these rights in all media throughout the world. Entertainment One is the largest distributor of home entertainment products in the Canadian market. Following the acquisition of Seville Entertainment in Canada on 20 August 2007, it also has a significant presence in the theatrical and international sales markets. Outside Canada Entertainment One owns KOCH Entertainment, the largest independent record label in North America and a leading independent distributor of music and video in North America and Contender, one of the leading independent UK distributors of filmed entertainment. On January 9th, 2008 Entertainment One purchased RCV Entertainment. RCV is the leading independent film distributor in the Dutch and Belgium market. http://www.entertainmentone.ca and http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com

Family Affair For Apache

Source: www.thestar.com - Prithi Yelaja, Staff Reporter

(May 29, 2008) Fans of Apache Indian, a.k.a. Steven Kapur, are in for a double treat this weekend when the British Punjabi singer headlines DesiFest with son Kelvin.

Kapur – who burst onto the music scene in 1993 with the hit single "Arranged Marriage" from his album No Reservations – is all grown up, with a 22-year-old son to prove it. His progeny, who goes by the stage name Kayvew, has already released three rap albums and is about to launch his first music video, Kapur, 41, reveals.

"It's going to be a family show. We have lots of positive messages to spread. I'm going to be singing all the songs from back in the day," says Kapur.

Apache Indian will be among nearly 40 acts performing at the second annual DesiFest, a 12-hour musical extravaganza in Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday.

Best known for fusing raggamuffin and bhangra with influences from mainstream pop and hip hop, Kapur sings in a patois of English, Punjabi and Hindi. His biggest commercial success was the 1992 hit "Boom Shak-A-Lak," which has been featured in more than 50 TV commercials and five Hollywood movies, including Dumb and Dumber and Scooby Doo 2.

He has also collaborated with artists as diverse as Boy George, Boyz II Men and Indian playback singers Asha Bhosle and A.R. Rahman.

Born in Britain to immigrant parents from Jalandhar, India, Kapur has used his music to raise awareness about social issues ranging from the caste system and arranged marriage to alcoholism and AIDS.

"My music just represents life, really – sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's sad," says Kapur, who used to work as a welder.

"I had bits and pieces of criticism when I first started, but I'm not trying to disrespect the culture. Times are changing and we have to re-evaluate things we grew up with. ... My music is a reflection of who I am and what I see around me."

He made headlines in Britain last year when he lashed out at what he called a resurgence of rampant racism there.

"The war on terrorism is backfiring on the Indian community in the U.K. in a big way. You used to hear about racism from your parents when they came in the '60s, and when we were growing up in the '80s it wasn't so bad, but now it's back again. ... With terrorism and immigration problems, it breeds racism."

His sense of outrage, coupled with a midlife crisis, almost pushed him to move his family to India, where his music is hugely successful. Instead, he just bought a house in Goa and visits several times a year.

"My music has helped me reconnect to my culture. I never used to speak that much Punjabi. Going back to India and Jalandhar and the villages, I've been able to get back into the culture and who I am and where I came from."

Kapur is excited about performing in Toronto again after a gap of six years. "People are really excited with our Asian sound and language and culture there," he says.

"Right from the beginning we had a lot of support from Toronto. It's one of my favourite places. I've got so many friends and fans there."

Just the facts
WHAT: DesiFest
WHO: 40 South Asian singers and dancers, mostly based in Canada
WHEN: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Yonge-Dundas Square
ADMISSION: Free

Najee Brings His Unique Style Back To Toronto

Source: www.thestar.com - Ashante Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic

(May 30, 2008) More than a decade since his last Toronto performance, smooth jazz saxist/flautist Najee returns with a sextet tomorrow at Lula Lounge.

The New York native started off in the backing bands of vocalists Chaka Khan and Freddie Jackson before making his album debut with Najee's Theme in 1986. His unique blend of instrumental R&B, funk and soul sold well and ranked consistently in Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums Top 10.

The 51-year-old married father of six, who divides his time between homes in Orlando and L.A., has just released his 11th record, Rising Sun. He spoke with the Star from a Birmingham, Ala., tour-stop.

Q. What can we expect from your Toronto concert?

A. A couple songs from Rising Sun and a lot of stuff from my most popular albums. The show is very different than what people hear on the records. When people hear jazz they think it's a sit down and chill concert, but it's really more lively than that.

Q. How did you pick the two covers on the new disc?

A. I'm a John Mayer fan; I've always liked "Clarity" and wanted to see if it would work on the saxophone. And as a youngster growing up in New York City I used to listen to ... "Moody's Mood For Love." That song has been in my head ever since I was a little kid.

Q. Why do you always include vocals on your albums?

A. Jazz needs to be accessible to people that will support it financially. I hear some critics say "it's not straight-ahead, its not traditional," but we have to make music that's relevant to people's experience. The music that Miles and Trane did will always be in our culture, but (today) that may not be what the market is calling for.

Q. Did those criticisms sting?

A. They used to, but now I make no apologies. I'm pretty comfortable with who I've become.

Q. Having studied with the likes of Jimmy Heath and Frank Foster you're obviously versed in straight-ahead jazz, do you ever play that style?

A. Occasionally. I've done a couple of albums with legendary jazz organist Charles Earland. I played on a 1998 album (Live at the Greek) with Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham and Larry Carlton. I also performed ... with Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Herbie Hancock and George Duke and we ... do straight-ahead.

Q. What are your pursuits away from music?

A. Aviation has always been my first love. ... I haven't gotten my pilot's licence, but I can fly very small, light recreational planes.

Q. Sounds dangerous.

A. (Laughs) Every time you get in there you make your little prayer and you just go.

Just the facts
Who: Najee
When: Friday 8 & 10 p.m.
Where: 1585 Dundas St. W.
Tickets: $30 @ ticketweb.ca

Jazmine Sullivan Heats Up The Airwaves

Source: Antero Fail / RCA Music Group, antero.fail@sonybmg.com

(June 2, 2008)  *With a distinctive vocal style that's rich and full of conviction, J Records' latest signing, Jazmine Sullivan, is set to heat up the airwaves this summer with her smash new single "Need U Bad." 

The infectious reggae-tinged single, written by Jazmine and produced by Missy Elliott and Lamb, impacted urban mainstream radio stations last week. "Need U Bad" is currently available on iTunes.

Demure but dangerous, Jazmine's frank, take-no-prisoners approach to songwriting, coupled with her passionate delivery, will quickly establish her as the one to watch this year and years to come. 

While her self-penned lyrics on "Bust Your Windows," "One Night Stand," "Call Me Guilty" and "In Love With Another Man,"  may raise a few eyebrows, music production by Missy, Salaam Remi, Jack Splash, Tricky, Wyclef, Stargate and more, will keep listeners captivated throughout her forthcoming debut disc.

While in the process of recording and promoting her album, Jazmine will give fans an inside look into her life by leaving voice mail updates along her journey.   Fans can call Jazmine at (215) 789-4753 to hear her updates and leave messages.

Singing since the age of five, the Philly native made her first national televised appearance on Showtime at the Apollo at the age of 11.  As Jazmine continued to hone and define her vocal dexterity, she quickly gained a legion of fans during her jaw-dropping live sets at her hometown's popular Black Lily showcases, where artists such as Jill Scott, Musiq, and Floetry performed before they became national recording artists. 

With a track record of amazing live performances, songwriting credits for Christina Milian's "Say I," and background vocal appearances on several albums, including Missy's forthcoming  album, there's no question that the sassy 21 year-old Jazmine is prepared to introduce the world to her unique brand of bold and beautiful music with a rebellious spirit. 

Check out Jazmine Sullivan via her MySpace page: www.myspace.com/jazminesullivan

Blowing Minds, Not Woofers

Source: www.globeandmail.com - Brad Wheeler

(May 31, 2008) A record-label man doubles as an usher, herding a small, lightly shuffling group of music journalists into a listening room. “Sit anywhere,” he says, motioning to nicely stuffed chairs. “You can sit in the back too,” he says, “because we blew out the rear speakers at the last session.”

Coldplay, the band whose colourful hit rhymes with mellow, is now rupturing woofers? While I picture straws breaking camels' backs, the lights go down and the album – with the two-minded title Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends – arrives with the rising swirl of Life in Technicolor, which mixes a strumming acoustic guitar and arpeggiated Baba O'Riley synthesizers. The effect is similar to the instrumental start to U2's Joshua Tree, co-produced by same Brian Eno who co-produced this album.

Eno's influence on the new Coldplay is profound. And by “new Coldplay,” I mean “different Coldplay.” The elegant ballads, airy crooning and life-affirming choruses of the past are not abandoned as much underplayed.

Due to be released on June 17, Viva La Vida (Long Live Life) is structured with meticulous concern, and is more adventurous and atmospheric than its high-selling predecessors Parachutes (8 million copies worldwide), A Rush of Blood to the Head (11 million) and 2005's X&Y (10 million). An epiphany came to singer Chris Martin after listening to a droning, off-kilter song by Blur, Sing ( To Me). “I remember hearing it and thinking ‘OK, we need to get better as a band,' ” Martin recently recalled.

Group vocals were recorded in an ancient Barcelona monastery; the title track employs strings, kettle drums and church bells; Strawberry Swing bears the influence of Malian blues; a piano is actually jaunty on Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love. “When a band gets to its fourth album there's little surprise left in the singer's voice,” Martin told a television interviewer. “We wanted to make sure we didn't sound the same as we did four years ago.”

Mission accomplished. This sonically grand fourth album makes the first three look like a light-rock trilogy in retrospect.

Lyrically, there is a preoccupation with ghosts and existentialism. “Time is so short,” Martin ponders on the elaborate 42, “I'm sure there must be something more.”

The album closes as it began. The Escapist, one of two “hidden” tracks, samples from the disc's rippling, synthesized introduction. “And in the end,” Martin sings, “we lie awake and we dream of making our escape.” An idea on life's meaning also applies to a band's run for higher artistic credibility. Coldplay doesn't wish to wreck speakers and cash registers, but to blow minds.

Disco Diva Donna Summer Is Back

Source: PRNewswire

(May 29, 2008) NEW YORK -- Celebrating four decades of milestones, Donna Summer adds another accomplishment to her list with the success of her new album "CRAYONS."

The album debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart making it Summer's highest debuting album ever. It also debuted at #5 on the Billboard R&B chart -- another personal best.

"Crayons" is Donna's first album of all new studio material in 17 years and is her highest charting album since "She Works Hard For The Money" in 1983.

Adding to her list of accomplishments is the recent success "I'm A Fire," the first single from "Crayons" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Charts making it her 13th #1 single to top the club charts and her 19th #1 charting single across all charts.

Donna Summer is the only artist to have had a #1 charting dance hit in every decade since the 1970s. "I'm A Fire" was remixed by several remixers including Solitaire, Craig C, Rod Carillo, Redtop, Matty Soulflower and Baggi Begovic & Soul Conspiracy. The Rocasound original version is found on the full album.

Containing a potent mix of the up-tempo tunes and ballads, "Crayons" showcases incredible new material, all co-written by Donna (who wrote or co-wrote the majority of her hits of the 70's and 80's).

Working with Donna were renowned writers and producers including: Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Pink), Danielle Brisebois (Natasha Bedingfield, New Radicals), JR Rotem (Sean Kingston, Rihanna), Toby Gad (Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield), Evan Bogart (co-writer of Rihanna's smash "SOS" and the son of legendary record executive, Casablanca Records founder and Donna's mentor, Neil Bogart), and Lester Mendez (Shakira, Santana).

Donna describes the background of the title "Crayons" and the aesthetic of the album as "a menagerie of colors and styles, with hints of different ethnic traditions and sounds. My dream is that when people hear the music it will remind them of their youth, their childhood and the joy and wonderment they felt exploring their first pack of Crayons."

Donna's long list of musical accomplishments include: 19 #1 Billboard singles, 12 Gold and Platinum singles, 5 Grammy Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 2 Double Platinum albums, 1 Platinum album, 8 Gold albums. Her song "Last Dance" won both Oscar and Golden Globe awards.

Hong Kong Star Loves Loyal Fans

Source: www.thestar.com - Nicholas Keung, Staff Reporter

(May 31, 2008) It doesn't happen too often when you have a jet-lagged superstar telling a handler to give a reporter more time for an interview.

But it is that easygoing and grounded character that has made Hong Kong Cantopop and Mandopop icon Leo Ku Kui-Kei a darling to his fans worldwide, including those who filled 10,000 seats at Toronto's Rogers Centre last night.

Having travelled to Canada numerous times for charities and concerts going back to 1996, Ku is no stranger to Toronto, though all he has ever seen in the area is Niagara Falls. (His stays are often too short to allow him time to do any sightseeing – not even to the CN Tower.)

But he loves his "up-close-and-personal" moments with his followers overseas, fans he gets to meet once every few years, such as the 500 or so who greeted him Thursday afternoon at a Markham mall to chat with him and collect his autographs.

"My relationship with my fans abroad is like a long-distance love affair," Ku said during a 40-minute, sit-down interview in Cantonese. (It ran long by 10 minutes.)

"We probably only get to see each other several times in our lives, but we are connected somehow. They are just so loyal and I'm touched."

Ku was last in Toronto in 2005 for a performance at Casino Rama. That appearance was part of his world tour to promote his album, Games, which was based on the video game theme.

His latest tour – accompanied by three up-and-comers, Theresa Fu, Kary Ng and Terence Siufay – is titled The Magic Moments after his new album, Moments.

A veteran artist with a 17-year career, the 35-year-old Ku is a "big kid" at heart, fascinated by both video games and Japanese animations.

"Leo is just a very nice guy, a talented artist with a big heart for charities," said Teresa Woo, an organizer of Ku's Toronto fans' club, whose members received their idol at Pearson International Airport Tuesday.

Sporting the club's black T-shirt, imprinted with Ku's concert poster, Woo, a University of Toronto student, said the multiple-award-winning singer is a role model for young people, especially in the midst of the sex scandals that recently rocked the entertainment industry in Hong Kong.

These days, Ku is also devoting time to his childhood passion – painting. He has released two comic books, titled The Story of Kubi, about an alien who got dumped on earth for his birth defects but used them to his advantage to help others in the human world.

"I always wanted to do this, but didn't get to it until 2003, when Hong Kong was struck with the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic and everyone, including myself, was stuck at home," explained Ku, who picked his anglicized name, Leo, because that is his astrological sign.

"I spent about four months to finish my first book. My next step is to turn Kubi into an animation."

Ku was named one of Hong Kong's 10 outstanding young achievers in 2005. The award recognizes the hard work he has put in during his career and his contributions to the community, including the Leo Ku Children Medical Fund that he established to support expensive medical treatment for needy kids.

Coupled with his artistic talent, it's Ku's offstage persona that helps win his older fans' hearts. (He had to cut short his tour to return to Hong Kong Saturday for a June 1 fundraising performance for recent earthquake survivors in China.)

"I am thrilled to be able to meet him," said Julianna Wong, a middle-aged woman who took a day off Thursday and arrived at the Market Village Mall at 9:30 a.m. to get a glimpse of Ku.

"We have a better chance to chat with him and get his autograph in Canada," added the Toronto social worker, holding a CD, a poster and a T-shirt for Ku to sign. "In Hong Kong, people are so crazy for Leo that you can't even get near him."

Despite his success, Ku said he has managed to keep his feet on the ground because of all the ups and downs in his long career, including a span of several years when he was stalled by his label company due to a contract dispute.

"Life is not a sprint; it is a marathon. You've learned to appreciate your success and fans' support more," Ku paused.

"All these awards, albums and books don't matter to me as much (as) if I can use my celebrity to make a difference and bring about some positive influence among our young people. I think that's what really matters."

Ku is not sure when he will return to Toronto, but said Canada is his favourite country, an ideal place for retirement.

"I just love the blue sky, the warm sunshine and the clean air here," he said, pointing at the window behind the couch of his hotel room.

"And the fans, too."

Winning Canadian Music Competition Could Open Many Doors For Young Armenian

Source: www.thestar.com - William Littler, Montreal

(May 31, 2008) Her name is Nareh Arghamanyan, she is a 19-year-old Armenian pianist and if you have never heard of her, just wait.

Last Tuesday evening she became the latest winner of Canada's highest-profile music contest, the Montreal International Music Competition, with $30,000 in prize money to her credit, plus a contract for an internationally distributed Analekta debut recording and a list of recitals and orchestral engagements potentially stretching over the next few seasons from London and Paris to Vancouver and Victoria.

Although she has won other prizes in her young life, this is the literally long-haired pianist's first career breakthrough, the event that promises to open doors for her internationally and lay the foundation for her future career in music.

Will she ultimately make it as a major soloist? Judging by her performance of the Tchaikovsky B-flat minor Concerto with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal in the competition's final round, I shouldn't have thought so.

While there was much musicality and pianistic talent on display, her playing was also patchy, full of technical slips and an imperfect interaction with the hard working but minimally rehearsed orchestra under Jean-Marie Zeitouni's direction.

On the other hand, the nine-member international jury made its decision not simply on the basis of the competition's concerto round. In the quarter- and semi-finals – which I did not attend – competitors had to present short recitals embracing a variety of music, including a compulsory, specially commissioned piece by Toronto composer Alexina Louie.

Having sat on international juries myself, in places as far afield as Tokyo, Japan and Sydney, Australia, I know how differently young, relatively inexperienced musicians can perform from round to round. By the time they came to play their concertos, the six finalists in Montreal had already presented a list of credentials to the jury. As its president, André Bourbeau, explained to an enthusiastic audience in the Salle Maisonneuve, their performances in all three rounds had to be taken into consideration.

A former minister in the Robert Bourassa government in Quebec, Bourbeau, together with Joseph Rouleau, the distinguished bass and president of Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, revived this competition in 2002, after years of suspension, with an obvious awareness that identifying and exhibiting the best young talent is a complicated business.

Not even first-prize winners are guaranteed careers. And the jury's decisions are sometimes trumped by subsequent events. The Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser came in only third in 2002 (the annual competition rotates among piano, violin and voice), yet he turned out to be the one singing in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet opposite Anna Netrebko at the Metropolitan Opera in New York this past winter.

What competitions offer is a momentary spotlight, a showcase, in some cases no more than Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame. They represent an opportunity rather than a guarantee. And as Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, one of this year's jurors in Montreal, explained, they also help establish the parameters of excellence to which aspiring young professionals can look to measure their own accomplishments.

Cohen, now a professor at Indiana University, instructed his own students to tune in to the Montreal competition by means of the Internet. CBC Radio Two also broadcast the various rounds from coast to coast and the European Broadcasting Union plans to include them in this year's festival series.

In short, Arghamanyan and her colleagues (23 pianists were chosen to participate from 28 countries) have already had the kind of exposure difficult to imagine in generations past. Whether she, Russia's 27-year-old Alexandre Moutouzkine or Japan's 30-year-old Masataka Takada (the tied second-place winners) or Sergei Saratovsky, the sole Canadian in the final, will establish a significant career is now a matter of individual initiative and luck. A big door has just opened for all of them.

Cyndi's Back, With A Little Help From Her Friends

Source: www.globeandmail.com - J.D. Considine

(June 4, 2008) Almost everybody who has heard of Cyndi Lauper knows that she was born in Brooklyn - with that accent, where else could she be from? - that she was a fan of the World Wrestling Federation and that she had several enormous hits in the mid-eighties, including Time After Time, True Colors and Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Some of you may also know that Lauper has just released her 11th album, a club-oriented dance disc dubbed Bring Ya to the Brink. On the heels of that, she will be spending June (and a little bit of July) on the road with the True Colors Tour, a celebration of freedom and tolerance that also features the B-52s, comedian Rosie O'Donnell and host Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame.

Here are two or three things you may not know about her.

She's a hockey mom.

"My son, who plays hockey, he always says, 'Mom, why don't we have a house up in Toronto? It's right near the Museum of Hockey!' " she says over the phone from New York. "I went to that museum so many times. I could recite some of those interviews."

She learned about jazz with bebop legend Lennie Tristano.

"I studied jazz with the Lennie Tristano school," she says. This was in the late-seventies, just before Tristano died and just after Lauper had damaged her vocal cords while singing in New York cover bands. "I lost my voice, and they felt I was a natural jazz singer."

At the school, she worked mainly with Betty Scott. "Betty Scott was his singer - and apparently his ex-wife. Who knew? I didn't," she laughs. "They taught me to find the centre of the