20
Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
M5B 2H5
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
August 6, 2009
Dear Friends,
If you received a strange email from me requesting funds because I lost my
wallet in the UK, PLEASE DO NOT
RESPOND OR SEND CASH.
No I am not in the UK, no I didn't lose my wallet. THIS IS A FAKE REQUEST. HUGE HACKER ALERT
FOR MY EMAIL from langgfieldent@yahoo.com.
PLEASE IGNORE ALL EMAILS RE SOME WALLET STORY. This is someone that has hacked
my computer, deleted ALL my emails and I'm doing my best to do damage
control. If you answer the email they will direct you to call some hotel
in the UK and ask you for funds. ALL FAKE!
I have alerted the authorities. I believe this all happened from an email
I got that Rogers Account Updates!!! Request Authenticated !!! Reply Needed
!!! suggesting that my email account would be suspended unless I
responded with my email and password. It looks very authentic ... do NOT answer it and if
you did, BACK UP all your data and CHANGE YOUR EMAIL PASSWORD. This will
allow them to have full access to your email. I have alerted the
authorities who will hopefully track the creeps down.
I am touched by all of you who thought I was in some trouble overseas ... my
sincere thanks for everyone's concerns and care.
************************************
Coming off the long weekend and moving forward to the brighter side of
things. The Sistahs Concert is a coming-together of generations of
Canadian talent, and a celebration of these women as performers, interpreters
and songwriters. It's August 9th - Tickets are selling out
fast - don't delay! See below for details!
This week is a special new release of Sean Paul! If you can tell me what city in
Jamaica that Sean Paul was born in, you could be the winner of his latest CD,
Imperial Blaze!! Enter HERE and
include your full name and mailing address.
And check out the URBANCY
scoop (as well as discount!) for some very
cool web services ... check it out under SCOOP.
Now, check out all the exciting news so please take a walk into
your weekly entertainment news!
::HOT EVENTS::
The
"Sistahs" Move Into Toronto's Distillery District! – Sunday, August 9, 2009
Source: www.andrewcraig.me
On August 9th, eight of Canada’s most powerful, most prominent, and most loved
Black female vocalists will come together on the same stage, for one night of
extraordinary music! The Young Centre
for the Performing Arts and Andrew Craig Productions present The Sistahs
Concert, featuring Molly
Johnson, Jackie Richardson, Ada Lee, Divine Brown, Toya Alexis, Alana
Bridgewater, Shakura S’aida and
Kellylee Evans.
The Sistahs Concert is a
coming-together of generations of Canadian talent, and a celebration of these
women as performers, interpreters and songwriters. Musical Directed by Andrew Craig,
the programme includes solos and multi-generational duets and culminates in
awe-inspiring group numbers!
The Sistahs Concert will be the most
talked-about event of the summer of 2009 – don’t miss your chance to see and
hear these extraordinary women in action – together!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2009
THE SISTAHS CONCERT
YOUNG CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
55 Mill St., Building 49 (in the Distillery District)
Two shows: 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
$20 adults; $5 students
BUY TICKETS
MAP
www.andrewcraig.me
::SCOOP::
Sean Paul’s Imperial Blaze
Source: www.warnermusic.ca
Sean
Paul’s back, and he’s about to bring the heat this summer. The
Jamaican dancehall superstar first sparked the world in 2002 with his breakout
hit, “Gimme The Light,” and the fire has been burning brightly ever
since. Hot on the heels of his multi-platinum, Grammy-winning classic
album, Dutty Rock, he dropped the 2005 RIAA platinum smash The
Trinity. That album led off with the Top 10 single “We Be Burnin’,”
followed by the #1 smash “Temperature.” Now Sean Paul is stoking the
flames once more with his highly anticipated fourth album, Imperial Blaze.
The Kingston-born rhyme slinger has already sold more than 10 million albums
worldwide, and has become the most successful Jamaican artist of all time on
the U.S. charts – spurred by a trio of #1 pop singles, and five top ten
hits. But despite his scorching track record, Sean Paul is taking nothing
for granted. “Imperial Blaze is like the king’s fire,” says the
keeper of dancehall’s flame. “It’s all about going hard and keeping it
hot.” Case in point: the album’s infectious lead single, “So Fine,”
which blends irresistible harmonies and rapid-fire lyrics with a futuristic
backdrop of digital percussion.
A lot of artists talk about “staying on the grind,” but few work harder than
Sean Paul. He has done more than any other dancehall artist to bring the
hardcore sound of Kingston to new audiences around the world. Since his
prophetically titled 2000 debut, Stage One, Sean Paul has proven time
and again that modern Jamaican reggae can be a viable genre in the
international music market. But the explosive energy of Imperial Blaze
indicates that he’s only getting started.
“In this business, they say you’re only as good as your last hit,” says the man
who beat out Kanye West and Nick Lachey to win the American Music Award for
Favourite Pop/Rock Male Artist in 2006. “They say you’ve got to prove
yourself all over again every time you come back, so here we come.”
More than just proving Sean’s staying power, Imperial Blaze represents
his evolution from a Jamaican crossover star into a bona fide pop hitmaker with
a rare gift for bringing cutting-edge sounds to an international
following. “My first album was mainly a compilation of songs that were
out in the dancehall,” he explains. “On the second album we added a few
special ones, and with The Trinity we did even more exclusive
songs. But now with Imperial Blaze, most of them were recorded
specially for this album. It’s all about my growth as an artist.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Sean’s determination to showcase the talents
of Jamaica ’s hottest young producers. “We have worked with other
producers in the past,” he says. “I have no problem working with any big
hip-hop or dance music producer who wants me to spit on their track. But
I’m not trying to ride on anybody else’s genre. When it comes to my
album, you’re gonna hear the new kids from Jamaica .”
The production credits on Imperial
Blaze read like a who’s who of dancehall trackmasters, from Don Corleone to
Craig “Leftside” Parkes (son of legendary Jamaican bandleader Lloyd Parkes), to
Jeremy Harding (who doubles as Sean’s manager), to Arif Cooper (son of Ibo
Cooper from the famed reggae band Third World) to Delano of Renaissance Disco
and even Sean’s own brother, Jazon “Jigzagula” Henriques of Coppershot
Sound. And for the first time, Sean himself produced a track on the album
entitled “I Know You Like It.” But nearly half the album’s 19 tracks were
produced by the 19-year old Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, whose Big Ship/Di
Genius Records label has dominated the dancehall scene for the past year.
“I first met Stephen when he was like
eight years old and I was in my 20s,” Sean reveals. “His father Freddie
McGregor is a king of reggae music, so Stephen was born into this. Now
he’s running the place, and the chemistry we have is something special.
When you find someone who gets you as an artist, you can really push
yourself and take it to a different place.”
The songwriting on Imperial Blaze represents a giant leap forward in
Sean Paul’s artistry. “There’s plenty of party tracks, but we’re not just
singing about the same old thing,” he explains. High-energy cuts like
“Lace It” on McGregor’s Daybreak riddim are already sparking the worldwide
dancehall circuit, but other cuts find Sean in a more reflective mode.
“My music has reached the point where it’s expanding,” he says. “I’m
talking about relationships and different things we all go through in
life.” Not only has the subject matter evolved, but vocally Sean’s
experimenting with different melodies and harmonies to create a richer new
sound.
Sean wrote a tribute to his mother, entitled “Straight From My Heart,” for her
birthday, and the depth of his emotions can be heard in every line. “That
felt so good it should have been the first song I ever recorded,” says
Sean. “Music is supposed to be for celebration, and who better to
celebrate than the woman who gave me life?” The haunting hook from “Hold
My Hand” represents another artistic breakthrough, what may be his first-ever
dancehall ballad.
While Sean has a long history of recording hit duets – including the recent
remix of Estelle’s “Come on Over,” preceded by “Give It Up To Me” with Keyshia
Cole, “Break It Off” with Rihanna, “Baby Boy” with Beyoncé, and “Give It to You
Girl” with Eve – the new album does not rely on guest appearances. “I
always think it’s funny when people ask, ‘Who’s on your new album?’” says Sean
with a grin. “It’s my album, you know?”
Although he has collaborated with hip-hop stars like 50 Cent, The Clipse, and
Busta Rhymes in the past, Sean Paul’s main emphasis is on his own sound.
“Dancehall is the most underground music in the world and our artists are most
misrepresented. But we’re gonna do it star. We’re gonna show
people. And even though we’ve done it time and time again, some people
still act like they don’t want to give reggae music a try. But this music
is big in all corners now. So all I’m saying is show some respect.”
After tasting fame and fortune, Sean Paul is more concerned than ever with his
musical legacy. “When I look back on some great artists over the years,”
he reflects, “you look at some man like Bob Marley and even Shabba Ranks and
Super Cat. When you check back over their career, you see all that they
accomplished and say, ‘Yo – what a work them do!’ Them thing deh really
make you wanna enjoy this time while you have it – just make the most of it
while the sun is shining. Do as much as we can.”
“As I have said before, there are many types of dancehall,” Sean Paul
emphasizes. “We have music that can express everything that a human being
can feel, more time in a raw way and sometimes in a very soft and seductive
way. That’s why I love this art form. And I’m ready to do it again,
star. We’re coming with something original. It have to sound fresh
and new. Don’t sound like you’re copying over and over. Sound like
the next thing. Watch we!”
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::TOP STORIES::
We Remember Baatin: Troubled
Slum Village Member Dies At 35
Source: www.eurweb.com
(August 3, 2009) *Rapper and member of Slum Village, Titus
"Baatin" Glover, has died
in Detroit according to reports. At EUR press time, the cause of death was not
known. He was 35
Baatin along with Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla), who died in 2006 of
complications related to lupus, and T3 formed a group and called themselves
Ssenepod. In 1991, they changed their name to Slum Village. That was also the
time Glover changed his stage name to Baatin.
"When I got spiritual, I wanted a different name," the Detroit native
said. "(Baatin) is Islamic for 'hidden'," mlive.com reported.
The group changed members several times over the years eventually becoming a
duo (T3 and Elzhi). Baatin told the (Detroit) Metro Times in 1997 that he
struggled with several emotional problems. He said he left Slum Village's
European tour in 2003 to rest, but later asked to be released from the group.
However, during a show at the State Theatre in Detroit, Baatin demanded to be
on stage. He was arrested and jailed; after that, he was evicted from his
apartment that he says was being paid for by his record label.
In 2004, Baatin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and
depression; he later developed a crack habit, living homeless for more than a
year.
Recently, it was announced that Baatin had rejoined Slum Village. A new album,
"Villa Manifesto," was scheduled to be released September 22.
Lil Wayne's Show, Drake's Applause
Source: www.thestar.com - Ashante Infantry, Jazz & Pop Critic
(August 05, 2009) Lil Wayne may have been the headliner, but a surprise appearance by Toronto
native Drake was the highlight of last night's Molson Amphitheatre concert.
After a fall during the New Jersey stop last Friday aggravated a knee injury,
less than a week into the month-long tour, Drake sat out New York the following
night and was scheduled to come off the road to have surgery.
But first, Toronto.
"I said there was no f---ing way I was going to miss this show," the
22-year-old rapper told the elated capacity hometown crowd after performing two
songs near the end of the four-hour bill.
Seated on a stool at centre stage, he delivered his No. 2 smash "Best I
Ever Had" – which the Los Angeles Times has declared the "song
of the summer" – as thanks for the city's nascent support.
But it was his rendition of "Successful" that really represented the
current position of child actor turned rapper Aubrey Drake Graham. Stalled with
a bum leg, while singing about his ambitions – "I want the money, and the
cars, the clothes, and the hoes, I suppose" – recalls Kanye West rhyming
through the wired broken jaw that resulted from a car accident as he was on the
cusp of his successful recording career.
Drake's cameo restored Lil Wayne's flagging set last night.
Sated quickly by hits like "A Milli," "Swagga Like Us" and
"Mr. Carter," where they sang and rapped and mimicked the New Orleans
native's sidestep skip shuffle, the crowd was relegated after 40 minutes to
watching Wayne, accompanied by a five-piece band and DJ, showcase the members
of his lacklustre Young Money clique – rappers Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda and Nicki
Minaj – who recall 50 Cent's ill-fated G-Unit crew.
With no new album to promote, this "Young Money Presents: America's Most
Wanted Music Tour," with an undercard of R&B singers Jeremih and
Pleasure P and rappers Soulja Boy and Young Jeezy, is a victory lap for last
year's top selling album Tha Carter III.
Wayne's January Air Canada Centre show was a much tighter effort that benefited
from theatrical exchanges with T-Pain and a more seamless parading of his
protégés.
P.S. Can someone tell DJ 4our5 that Buju Banton's homophobic "Boom Bye
Bye" doesn't get played publicly 'round these parts, no matter how much
the audience loves it?
Drake
Suffers Injury On Tour
Source: www.eurweb.com
(August 03, 2009) *At this point no one is really sure
what happened to rapper Drake Friday night in New Jersey.
One minute he's doing "Best I Ever Had" and the next he found himself
unable to get up on his own from the stage floor after falling.
We're not sure if he slipped and fell or "collapsed" as some media
outlets are reporting. The bottom line is that the rapper/singer may have
seriously aggravated his previously injured up knee.
Witnesses at the show in Camden, New Jersey, said Drake "put his head down
because he was in so much pain." Four men had to carry him off stage.
Reports say Drake tore his ACL before the tour started, but made the decision
to continue on, without approval from his doctor.
Via Twitter, Drake says he's now off the tour and headed straight for surgery
this coming week.
We certainly hope he didn't damage his knee beyond repair because one blog
reported that his doctor warned him that he might not ever walk again if he
managed to tear his ACL a second time. Wow.
Interview
with Lara Lavi - The Resurrection of Death Row Records
Source: By: Alex Young,
Fazor Magazine
(August 4, 2009) There are three simple words that cut
straight to the core of hip-hop as both a genre and an art form. Anyone that
hears them cannot deny their power. Those three little words are: Death Row Records. Launching the careers of Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and
Snoop Dogg among others, Death Row Records set the standard to which hip-hop is
held to today. Founded by Suge Knight and Dr. Dre at the dawn of the 1990’s,
the label followed the dissolution of N.W.A, in part due to financial claims
made by Ice Cube, as well as Dre’s ambition to carry on as a producer. Death
Row went on to release some of the most acclaimed and influential albums in the
world of hip-hop, regarded as legendary even by today’s standards. Some of the
albums Death Row stacked on music store shelves while their artists stacked up
platinum awards were The Chronic by Dr. Dre, Doggystyle by Snoop
Dogg, and 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. According to the label’s website, Death
Row accumulated $750 million in revenue and sold over 50 million albums since
its inception in 1992.
As successful as the label was, it was equally as controversial. After what
seemed like an endless parade of famed rifts between artists and management,
legal battles, and financial issues, it sat in limbo for almost a decade.
Now comes Death Row’s resurrection, thanks to Lara
Lavi, a woman who is a part of WIDEawake Entertainment and
recently acquired the rights to the catalogue. The acquisition followed
an ongoing auction that started after Suge Knight declared Death Row bankrupt
in 2006. Lavi is the new President and is doing everything she can, along with
a team of accountants, lawyers, producers and artists, to reclaim the label’s
throne in the pantheon of hip-hop royalty. As both a genre and an industry,
hip-hop traditionally has been dominated by males. Nevertheless, Lavi is
taking her shot and giving it everything she’s got.
Fazer Magazine was lucky enough to speak with Lavi about meeting 2Pac, her
current business relationship with Dr. Dre and the future of hip-hop.
Alex: What are some of your plans to restore the roster and image of one of the
most well known labels in the hip-hop industry?
Lara Lavi: What I plan on do is - it’s not just me, there’s a whole team of
folks, both here in Canada and the United States. The very first thing that I’m
focused on is re-establishing a connection to build trust again. I would say
that virtually all of these artists have come to associate the name Death Row
with, for example, not getting paid. My view is that coming into the music
industry as an artist and not as a hobby artist, but as an actual artist, not
getting paid when you’ve been so instrumental in creating such a signature body
of work is just not cool. At the same time, I have the balancing act of making
sure that the financers that made all of this possible by pulling the catalogue
out of bankruptcy, that they get a return on their investment. Otherwise the
whole thing will be forgotten and there will be no Death Row. That being said,
I started my outreach the day we acquired the catalogue and I started with
Tupac Shakur’s family and legal team literally at the door of the bankruptcy. I
was able to start from day one to establish a precedent that whatever was was,
and what we’re trying to do now is something that’s positive as opposed to
negative. I made a great deal of effort in that outreach, I went down to
Atlanta and saw the Tupac Shakur center. I was then invited to visit Afeni
Shakur in North Lumberton at her home. After talking it all through with
lawyers and financial planners and so on, we both seemed to agree that at least
I had the right intentions, my intentions were good. Then I‘ve been able
to deliver on promises on things that relate to legal stimulation, things that
relate to getting paid, things that relate to the organization of the
administration of the music on the business side. We were able to gain trust
through these talks about the songs, which we’re allowed to have according to
the court documents so we can release Tupac on a Death Row release, hopefully
and God willing, in June 2010. With the rest of the roster, I sort of divided
it up in my head into Dre, Snoop, Tupac and then Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage,
Danny Boy, and everybody, Nate Dogg, Kurupt and everybody else. Because they
all have separate management and separate folks that are monitoring the
situation and have separate financial interests in their historic relationship
with Death Row. With Dre’s folks, we’re chiselling away very, very slowly with
Dre’s lawyer, and that’s going to be a tough one. Since the The Chronic (released
in 1992) was the first artist album out on Death Row, we wanted to make
sure we honoured Dr. Dre, who really was key to the entire direction of Death
Row and the sound with his team with Daz (Dillinger, one of the first artists
to sign with Death Row) and Snoop. These guys made history with The Chronic.
Alex: Absolutely.
Lara: We wanted to celebrate that, so we decided that The Chronic re-release
should be honouring Dr. Dre, honouring Snoop, honouring this amazing sound and
opening up the vault. Because the process of The Chronic re-release
allows fans fourteen new songs that have never been released or are extremely
rare releases. There’s a really amazing interview with Dr. Dre that we were
able to secure that’s almost thirty minutes in 1997.
Alex: That’s awesome.
Lara: It was shot on sixteen millimetre film so the quality is impeccable. He
looks great; he looks really healthy and good. I mean he always looks great,
but he looks really great in this. They did a really good job shooting him;
it’s going to be a very, very impressive interview, no one’s ever seen it
before. We’re trying to honour Dre, we have 2D3 in the booklet, he goes back to
the early days of N.W.A and into The Chronic. Many have compared Dr. Dre
with Quincy Jones (producer that has worked with Frank Sinatra and Michael
Jackson on the album Thriller) in terms of what Quincy has done with his
genres and what Dre has done for his genres. We’re really trying hard to send a
message out of respect. The ultimate respect will be when they receive their
royalty cheques. When we get paid, they get paid.
Alex: Absolutely. What is it like to work with someone like Dr. Dre who has not
only had such a massive impact in terms of the sound, delivery, and production
of rap as a genre, but he was also a pioneer in terms of setting up the
business practice of how hip-hop labels relate to their artists?
Lara: To be clear, we have not had the benefit of working directly with Dre. A
comfort zone with his new regime (Dre founded Aftermath Entertainment after
leaving Death row in 1996) is going to take a long time to establish, and it’s
going to be a rollercoaster until it gets to a good spot. What we have is we
have his historic involvement, you’re exactly right; we have how he set things
up so we have that as an imprint for us to march forward. I think where we sit
right now is hopefully with The Chronic re-release and several other
releases right after, we will send a strong message to Dr. Dre. Whether he’s
ambivalent, the ball is in his court with whatever he chooses, and we wish to
be positive with him. That’s all we can do until he decides we’re relevant to
his world. But certainly our goal is to be as positive as possible while still
honouring the issues of financing the company and servicing debt load, and
stuff like that.
Alex: What drove you to take over the label and breathe a brand new life into
one of the most legendary labels in hip-hop?
Lara: Well, I’m American and I was recruited by financers in Canada to develop
a new company and the early stages of the company in the first couple of years
were slow in terms of getting product out to market. There was a lot of
long-term ramp up in sorting through what we want to do, what made sense etc.
Last year at this time the chairman said, “I think we’re ready now to acquire a
significant money-generating asset. Go see what’s out there”. The team
instructed me to go see what’s out there and I came back with a few publishing
catalogues and nothing was really amazing to us. Then I got a call from VJ
Chandrin whose an investment banker working in the entertainment sector out of
New York and LA for his company. He said, “Well you know the Death Row
catalogue is in bankruptcy and is on the auction block”. Everyone went to the
financers and said, “I don’t know if this is something that will interest you,
but this is out there”. They said, “Go after it”, and the team put together a
really intense due diligence effort and we became qualified bidders. We put our
bid in, it (the auction) was extended until January 2009. We went to court, it
was quite competitive, at some point I wasn’t even thinking about what we were
trying to do and was just thinking I wanted to beat out the other side. It was
just silly. At the end of the day, we sat there very professionally, our
package was impeccable, and I think people realized we were serious and the court
awarded us the asset for the exact amount that we bid. And now the goal was to
have an asset that was generating income, had an established brand, and we
could make it better. Making it better involved, still involves and will
continue to involve making the asset currently relevant in terms of applying
the music to feature films, gaming, TV and so on. In that same capacity,
developing new projects off of the brand, so we have a project called Hustle
City that’s one of the other things we’re doing that relate to powering a
series of graphic novels that’s a platform project. That could ultimately end
up in a feature film project and a gaming project with the Death Row music and
hopefully licensing and material from some of the key Death Row artists. We’re talking
very seriously about doing a ‘Death Row presents…” tour and bringing these
artists that wish to participate in. You’ve got to remember that there’s only
ten to fifteen percent of what’s been in the vault has been released to the
public. Promotionally, there’s not that much leakage out there, but
comparatively there’s seven thousand or eight thousand tracks that are
unreleased from all the artists. Our goal is to constantly get this stuff out
to market, properly packaged and put it in with as much video and stuff the
fans haven’t seen before, which results in something we see as the Death Row
brand re-establishing with what it all stood for musically. The challenge with
Death Row is that, in many ways it’s a snap-shot of the late eighties and early
nineties in terms of what was going on socio-economically. This music and its
lyrics speak very loudly about a certain set of issues that were going on
around North America, but especially in the Southern California, LA, Long Beach
area. The question becomes, in light of having President Obama in office now
and in light of a great amount of social change probably spurred by some of the
anger and frustration of the Death Row original era, where is this music
relevant now? I wonder about that all the time, and yet yesterday I was
watching CNN and they were doing the part two of ‘Black to America’. You know
the documentary they’re creating on what’s happening now with inner-city issues
with kids now and so on?
Alex: Yeah.
Lara: And I realized that a tremendous amount has occurred, there’s way more
social awareness, and militancy no longer has a place in bringing about social
change. But we’re not done yet, so as we power this music in really cool films
that tell human stories about what’s going on in the communities, true stories.
There’s a particular film called Sons to the Grave that we’ve committed
to powering the music for, and this is a true of something that happened in St.
James Town, right in your backyard. A black mother elected to move back to St.
James Town because her son was clearly a basketball prodigy and they had the
best NBA scouting school in the state. In going back, it was sort of a
love/hate relationship this child experienced with his peers because he had a
chance to get out and actually do it. There’s a lot of pressure for teens with
street bookies there with high school gangs, and right before this young man is
about to get out, he’s tragically shot. This is a true story, you can
imagine news was on this one, the film Sons of the Grave tells this
story and there’s a tremendous amount of interest both nationally and
internationally in this film. A lot of folks are actively working to get this
film to theatre. Death Row felt that this is the type of film that if we power
the music, we’ve created a way for the Death Row music to have a new relevancy
today.
Alex: To a new generation of fans and movie-goers.
Lara: Exactly. Which is a big piece of our mission, which is why we have
Evergreen copyrights as our publisher, they administer both our masters and our
publishing. They’re also incredibly aggressive when it comes to synchronization
placement and strategic synchronization placement. Everyone’s on the same page
and we’re very coherent when thinking about this.
Alex: Absolutely, and I can imagine that would be a great asset to have to
Death Row as a company when you’re looking to re-establish an image and start a
new chapter in a new day in age after having somewhat of a checkered past.
Lara: Yeah, and again one of the challenges of working with artists and their
handlers is…One thing, my team and I can never do is fix the sins of the
previous management (headed by Suge Knight). We can’t pay all that money back,
we don’t even have it. Nobody would, it’s astronomical, just the amount’s that
didn’t get paid to the artists. All we can do is that from the day we became a
Wide Awake/Death Row Entertainment entity, all we can say is that we will
follow proper business practices, honour the agreements and, when necessary,
re-negotiate agreements. That’s all anyone can possibly expect from us, to be
honourable and move forward.
Alex: Death Row is known for signing some of the most legendary and influential
performers in the world of hip-hop. How do you plan on brining Death Row up to
speed with where hip-hop is at in 2009 or setting any new musical trends in the
future?
Lara: You know that’s a great question. One of the musical challenges is that
all music forms including hip-hop evolve over time.
Alex: Definitely.
Lara: The messages change, the sounds change, the beats change, the faces and
names change. There was no T-Pain back in the beginning.
Alex: No, definitely not.
Lara: It’s sort of like saying from Elvis Presley, how do you deal with what he
built ground on and make him more relevant? I think the key with Death Row is
the same thing with the people who love Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or early
stage Bruce Springsteen, there’s always a place for authenticity.
Alex: Absolutely.
Lara: I think we allow that music to be what it is. What’s interesting is with
any of these artists that are still alive, knock on wood, they’re still active.
Dogg Pound has a new album in the can ready to go, Lady of Rage is working on
cool stuff; Danny Boy is working on cool stuff. Crooked I is working on some
really cool stuff that I’m in love with and is very relevant; his
Slaughterhouse project is signed to E-1. We’ve got another project called Group
Therapy that I think is out of this world. The new material Danny Boy is doing
is exquisite; I think the new material Kurupt and Daz [Dillinger, one of the
founding members of the Dogg Pound] and Kurupt has also been working with DJ
Quik. These guys…it’s in their blood, they can’t help it, and they’re going to
create. I think what I’d like to do, and we’re in sort of early stage
conversations with the art and the handlers, lawyers, and management, we’re
talking about doing a ‘that was then, this is now’ concept. It might take it
into touring, it might take it into dual releases of old stuff and new stuff,
you know, taking a look at making a way for their classic material to be
coupled with where these artists are at now because they’re still all
brilliant. They’re still the best of the best of their era and still have
commercial relevancy now in 2009 into 2010. So that’s the kind of thing that
we’re looking at. Some artists like Crooked I really want to define themselves
by what they’re doing now because they’ve changed their whole message and
everything else. Working with someone like us is good because we’re sensitive,
I mean we obviously always to be accountable to the fact we’ve got that back
catalogue we have to monetize. But timing is everything and if we can work with
Crook [Crooked I] for example in getting his new stuff and his old stuff out
after, then he’s been able to redefine himself and the back catalogue takes on
a different meaning. It takes on a retrospective meaning; it helps you
understand how he evolved into who he is today. But each artist is different;
each artist is evolving differently, which requires a lot of sensitivity and
respect on both sides. All I’ve ever asked of the artists is to please respect
that someone good acquired this body of work and respect the fact that if we
can get a return on investment and keep the financers satisfied that this is a
good idea then we’ll be able to do cool things. Then if the artist exhibit the
level of anger and frustration understandably with previous management and ask
for things that don’t make sense at this particular date, it will cause the financers
to take a different route. They’ll just have to put this stuff out and hope it
will sell. I would like to do something that says the artists, the music and
the fans are a synergistic valuable component to maximizing the return on the
investment while doing the right thing. That’s my mission, and whether I will
be able to accomplish that, only time will tell. But for me personally and
professionally with our team, that’s the mission.
Alex: That will free you up to take on the kind of projects you want to take on
and the albums you want to release in the future.
Lara: Hopefully so. The days of just putting out records is dwindling down and
we’re seeing a more random playlist going on with the advent of the internet
and so on. So it’s going to be important to create new ways to do business,
whether it’s packaging up tours with units and merchandise, which might be the
most lucrative for the artist and I’m looking carefully into that kind of
stuff. Because I think no matter what we do on the internet, fans have told us
over and over again, they want to smell the sweat of the artist that they love.
They want to be there, they want to feel that bass pulsing directly through
their heart. They want it and there’s no substitute for that.
Alex: You can’t download that.
Lara: Yeah. From that end, I’m thinking of how we work with gatekeepers whose
levels of touring are required in order to really penetrate the market. How do
we get at the value for the company and the fans? All these things take a
tremendous amount of brain power to think through even though a lot of it’s
been done before. Because you’re dealing with a cast of players who are
understandably feeling a lack of closure, positive closure in their Death Row
experience.
Alex: Yeah, absolutely. Are there any modern artists that have caught your
attention these days?
Lara: Yeah, I would say that I have become a gigantic fan of Novel; I don’t
know if you know who he is. He’s primarily known as a producer Leona Lewis and
Alicia Keys (and has also worked with Talib Kweli, Lauryn Hill and Smokey
Robinson) and stuff like that. He’s doing a very interesting thing, there’s
sort of a consciousness to his rap. If you Youtube him you’ll see a lot
of stuff. Obviously we are incredibly committed to Sean Jones (Canadian
rock/R&B singer and songwriter) outside of the rap world. Because one of
the things about Sean that I find fascinating is that here is a man of Jamaican
descent who came into the music industry very traditionally through the boy
band, R&B world, and had success. As he really started pulling to the beat
of his own drum and do something exactly where he was going, he started to get
closer and closer to a unique sound that incorporated a lot more rock. We’ve
met with some resistance, particularly in Canada where people have actually
come out and said to us, “He’s black, he should stick to his genre”. That’s the
kind of thing that will make me say, “Look, music transcends race and if Sean
wants to explore a side of music that’s not traditionally R&B music, all
the power to him as long as he’s putting out great songs”. He’s got a new batch
of songs that he’s written and even the songs from ‘This is Love’ (released in
2008 through WIDEawak Entertainment) are incredibly compelling. Interestingly
enough “This Is Love” has resonated much better than the United States than it
has in Canada in terms of radio, producer and so on response. It’s all relative
in terms of different markets so all you can do with Sean is let him be
himself. So as we go forward with artists like Novel and Crooked I with his new
project, and Sway from MTV, they’re being themselves. There’s this weird
balance between what’s commercially successful versus what’s new and if what’s
new is really good, hooky and compelling, then it’ll always beat out a
cookie-cutter approach of an artist that’s copying what’s already been
developed a year or so previously.
Alex: Exactly.
Lara: So you have to give these guys room to be unique and innovative and wait
anyway as long as the songs are strong and the production is strong. I think
it’s more about competitive production than it is trying to imitate. I think
production standards are the key to commercial success and the innovation and
the hook and the strength of the song to be memorable to the consumer, that’s
where innovation and uniqueness are critical.
Alex: That’s interesting you told me that some people said that it’s not really
the place of a black person to play rock and roll when some of the original
innovators of rock and roll like Chuck Berry and Robert Johnson…
Lara: Jimi Hendrix!
(Laughing together)
Alex: Yeah, and like B.B. King.
Lara: I’m living in Seattle and drive by the Jimi Hendrix memorial pretty much
every day and it’s like, “Yep, he was pretty much black. For sure, black, let’s
check under the hood, yeah that’s black, too. Pretty much everything’s black
about Jimi Hendrix. You’d have to be quite sure he was doing rock”.
(Another mutual hearty laugh)
Alex: Yeah, exactly. Earlier on you mentioned artists like Led Zeppelin who
have covered Robert Johnson, guys like Eric Clapton, he did an entire Robert
Johnson tribute album (the 2004 album entitled Me and Mr. Johnson). The
Rolling Stones have covered him (the song ‘You’ve Got to Move’ on the 1971
album Sticky Fingers). Some of the most influential artists in the world
of rock and roll were all black.
Lara: You know what? The key here is to sign that sweet spot that’s going to
resonate with consumers and industry gatekeepers, innovation and self-truth. If
everyone had an answer for that, we’d all be wealthy billionaires.
Alex: Exactly.
Lara: It’s a tricky little game.
Alex: I just thought that was an interesting point that anyone would say that.
But far be it for a modern artist to want to branch out and develop themselves
and mature by taking their music in a new direction that they find deep and
meaningful and might resonate with other people.
Lara: I guess from that end, you asked me originally about these artists and
where it becomes currently relevant. I think it becomes currently relevant by
hearing what they’re doing now and allowing consumers to have the ability to
check out what they were doing and what they are doing. If it’s
good music, its good music, and we do everything we can to make this a return
on investment and make this a place where artists are bringing out their truth,
and can resonate with consumers. We hope that that circle of musical life
works.
Alex: What do you think the future holds for hip-hop as a genre and as an
industry?
Lara: You know I think it’s hilarious that anyone would ask me this question,
because I have been very straightforward about being a musician and an artist
myself in a completely different genre (Lavi has collaborated with Charles
Neville on the album Songcatchers) and the only reason I’m getting asked
this question now is because I happen to be in a place where financers wanted
to buy an asset and it ended up being Death Row. I think a year ago, no one
would be looking at me as someone who could answer this question. That
being said, I’ve been immersed in the school of hip-hop, I’ve always had a foot
in the door because I’ve represented artists as a lawyer here in the United
States and haven’t been living in a cave. The issue with any genre of music,
whether it’s hip-hop or country or rock or pop, whatever, is that music tends
to reflect what’s going on in the world.
Alex: And the spirit of the times.
Lara: Yeah, because art imitates life and life imitates art, we’re always going
to see evolution. And evolution, if you recall, doesn’t always mean
direction, it just means change, a change that responds to environment. I think
that when you’re sitting here with so much technology and so many artists and
so many avenues for its release in the advent of the digital age, you’re going
to see everything. From what’s going to be to what used to be,
everything. My guess, if I could be so bold, is that I think we’re going to see
a lot more of what I call rock, and there are other projects that are taking a
hard look at what happens when you get a live band and some rappers together.
What is that going to create? I think we’re going to see the organic side of
music emerging through hip-hop. Yet you’re still going to have artists that are
feeding into the Top 40 radio with the auto-tuning vocals and that, because
everybody’s experimenting and that’s fine. One thing I will never ever do, and
I say this in every interview is there will never be a hater here (from Death
Row) to any artist whether it’s Britney Spears to Chuck D (of Public Enemy), to
anyone. Because for filmmakers and musicians, it is a major miracle that
anything makes it from the brain of the artist and producers to the radio or
the consumer. It is so much work, so much work, and so much work. For anybody
who has made it to the level of being a brand, the amount of work for them and
their team is astronomical. If people buy it, there’s a market for it, period.
Alex: Yeah.
Lara: That’s the way it is.
Alex: That’s the way economics works.
Lara: Whether they do it for the fame or whatever else, but I can tell you
right now, I have respect for anybody who makes it from A to B.
Alex: Have you spoken to any of the older artists that made Death Row what it
was?
Lara: Yeah! I’ve met a whole bunch, some of the producers and stuff. I’ve had
some wonderful conversations with Rick Clifford, who was the chief engineer of
Death Row during its peak. He is actually legendary for recording All Eyez
on Me (Tupac’s fourth solo album released in 1996 that has gone platinum
nine times since then) in fourteen days.
Alex: Wow.
(Lara laughs for a moment)
Lara: I know. I’ve had a chance to sit in a room as recently as last week with
Daz (Dillinger), Supafly and Lady of Rage, when they were on tour in Vancouver and
actually had heart to heart’s with them. Not just sit around and you know…sit
around.
Alex: Yeah.
Lara: I’ve had lengthy conversations with Snoop’s management and lawyers and
one very solid conversation with Snoop. Dre is waiting to see us put our money
where our mouth is. Like I said with the Tupac Shakur estate, I would say I am
on the best possible terms with Afeni Shakur. Same with the Danny Boy and
Crooked I camp. Since February (2009) when Death Row officially became a
WIDEawake asset, there’s been no slouching in terms of artist outreach. For the
most part, people are respectful; I cannot tell you how much e-mail and
Facebook activity I get with people giving their two cents, but we have our
hands full. This is going to take a while and some patience from
everybody.
Alex: Did you ever get to meet some of the artists that were active in the
nineties that are inactive today? More specifically, artists like Tupac.
Lara: I did meet Tupac back in the day, ironically I did some legal work, some
clearance work for him and long, long time ago. I did see him perform a couple
times and I did have a couple conversations with him, nothing that I would say
we knew each other well, but certainly I got a sense of who he is.
Alex: Having witnessed a live performance from an artist of that calibre and
seeing someone who performs at that level while doing their own thing, is that
what originally inspired you to take on the challenge of reviving Death Row
Records? So you could give artists that you see like that today a home to live
up to that potential in the future?
Lara: Well that’s a lofty goal now isn’t it?
(Laughing together)
Lara: I’m going to be totally real with you, if someone had told me a year ago
that this is where I would sit, I would laugh, probably because anyone that
knows me knows that I’m more from the world of singer/songwriters and what-not.
With that being said, I think that didn’t really hit me until after the asset
was acquired, so the motivation was purely reactive to the need to be a good
businesswoman during the bankruptcy process. I don’t think it hit me until
after the asset was required the level of responsibility required here, trying
to bridge the world of business and the world of art in such a way that both
are respected. I think that it hit me a lot harder when I walked out of the
courtroom.
Alex: Thank you for taking some time to chill out and let our readers know what
the whole process has been like for you.
Lara: It’s a team. It’s a whole team of folks, from bankers to producers to
artists that’s a collective mind. I’m not sitting at the top of some hill
masterminding all of this myself. Certainly I have a vision and people are
looking to me for that, but I’m very respectful to the fact that this is a team
approach with a place at the table for everyone that has something constructive
and useful to bring.
Alex: That will probably make reaching your goal of taking Death Row in a new
direction a lot easier to achieve.
Lara: Absolutely, because I think great music is great music and the key right
now is having folks at the helm that are respectful to both sides of it, the
business side of it and the artistic side of it. That’s the trick.
Alex: It has been an honour and a privilege.
Lara: You’re wonderful, thank you for time, too.
Check out the following clip: http://www.wideawakedeathrow.com/comm3/
Monica
Set For New Bet Docu-Drama
Source: www.eurweb.com
(August 3, 2009) PASADENA, Calif. -- On Tuesday, October
27, at 10:00 p.m.* BET premieres MONICA, a new eight-episode series that follows R&B singer
Monica as she works on her fifth album, launches a new clothing line and
tackles the hardest job of all - full-time mother of two young sons.
After a brief hiatus from the music industry, does Monica have what it
takes to handle it all? You be the judge on Tuesday, October 27.
Monica is back in the spotlight with an intimate, behind-the-scenes view into
her day-to-day world.
This reality show will not only chronicle her personal life, but will take
viewers along her journey as she works on her highly anticipated fifth studio
album, appropriately titled Still Standing.
The series will also highlight her efforts as she designs a high-end line of
boys' clothing called Regions of Rock, an "urban rock" line of
clothing ranging from infant sizes to boys' size 20.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Monica Denise Arnold is a talented R&B / pop
singer, songwriter and actress. She began her singing career as a member of
Charles Thompson and the Majestics, a 12-piece traveling choir that led to her
signing a recording contract with Arista Records in 1995. Monica went on to
become the youngest R&B recording act in history to have two consecutive
chart-topping hits on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
While maintaining a recording career, Monica added another title to her credits
- actor. She has appeared in several films, including Boys and Girls (2000),
ATL (2006) and MTV Films' Love Song (2000). She has also made several
television appearances on Living Single, Beverly Hills: 90210, Felicity and
American Dreams.
Even with all the success of her entertainment career, Monica undeniably has
experienced personal tribulations. It was with the spiritual guidance of her
parents and family that she withstood the devastating suicide of her boyfriend
Jarvis "Knot" Weems, and it is that same support that helps her keep
standing today. Monica is a strong, poised, vivacious woman, and with this reality
show, she wants to show viewers and fans that anything is possible once you
have set your mind to do it.
MONICA is executive produced by Monica and James DuBose of DuBose
Entertainment.
Viewers can visit http://www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows
for more information about MONICA.
Amber
Alert Event Finds Trey Songz, Day 26
Source: www.eurweb.com - By Kenya M. Yarbrough
(August 03, 2009) *Trey
Songz, Bad Boy's Day 26 and Doug E. Fresh will perform this
month at the AMBER Ready Back-to-School Safety Weekend at ABC Studios' Live in
Times Square, NY, August 15-16, from noon - 9 p.m.
The weekend is intended to raise awareness of AMBER Ready, Inc. and the AMBER
Ready Foundation, which will launch the nation's first wireless child
protection service and community predator program in an effort to reduce the
number of missing and abducted children, and to quickly recover those that are
classified as such.
Other celebrities, athletes, civic and community leaders are also expected to
attend. All events are free and open to the public and will be simulcast on the
Times Square Jumbo Tron.
In other Songz news, his new album "Ready" is slated for a Sept. 1
release on Song Book/Atlantic Records with production from Stargate, Johnta
Austin, Troy Taylor, Carlos "Los DaMystro" McKinney, Eric Hudson and
Bryan-Michael Cox.
"This album is very adult, very easygoing and very sexy," he tells
Billboard.com. "It feels cohesive and reflects the changes you see in me
physically, with my new haircut, and everything else that represents me
evolving into manhood."
The featured guests include Drake, Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell'Em.
Mo' Money, Same Problems
For Canadian Hip-Hop Artists
Source: www.globeandmail.com - Dakshana
Bascaramurty
(August 03, 2009) Montreal rapper Devin Atherton is truly in his element when he's behind the
microphone at a packed club, dropping rhymes while the steady beats he's mixed
at his home studio pump through the speakers.
Atherton's vocabulary is ripe with references to MCing, hooks and flipping.
Terms that were once a foreign language to Canada's cultural bureaucrats are
starting to become just as familiar as “mezzo-soprano,” “staccato” and “grand
jeté.” Artists such as Atherton have become the unexpected new darling of
granting agencies as hip hop culture and art has moved from the marginal to the
mainstream. But while Toronto graffiti artist Skam has made thousands of
dollars doing commissioned work (including a mural for Louis Vuitton) and
Vancouver dance crew 605 Collective has performed at major B.C. venues for
mainstream crowds, proving that these artists can reach a wide audience, urban
artists still struggle to win government grants to produce their work.
An internal report commissioned by the Canada
Council for the Arts on hip
hop culture in 2006 was released to the public last month. It highlighted
inequities in funding for creators of urban art and found that many who had
applied for grants left the word “hip hop” out of their applications, out of
fear it might reduce their odds of getting cash. The report's authors included
a strong recommendation to “review and revamp” the grant programs “that deem
hip hop art ineligible.”
It's not that arts councils are saving their cheques for the most pedigreed
opera singers and prima ballerinas trained at royal conservatories. The funding
agency insists the money has always been there for the taking, but now it is
making a concerted effort to make grants more accessible to hip hop artists.
In his six years as a rapper, 26-year-old Atherton has never been able to score
a government arts grant to pursue his passion, but it might just be because
he's not dotting his i's and crossing his t's the right way.
Late last month, four grant officers sat down in the salon of the National Arts
Centre with an unlikely audience: a motley crew of about 40 graffiti artists,
rappers and break dancers from across the country. The agency's goal: to teach
the artists how to tailor funding applications. They even held the workshop on
the artists' turf – at the main venue for Hip Hop 360, a week-long event
showcasing urban art. It proved to be an eye-opener for both participants and
grant officers.
“I think there's a bit of a disconnect between institutions engaged in
promoting the arts in Canada and street artists. Urban arts are to a certain
extent anti-establishmentarian,” said Sabra Ripley, a b-girl and graffiti
advocate who co-ordinated the workshop.
“It's not that it's seen badly to take money from an institution. It's just a
group of people that aren't used to working with the bureaucratic language and
process.”
They see the divide on the other side of the fence, too.
“Being linked with an arts council is not necessarily organic with the
community,” said Sheila James, co-ordinator of the Canada Council for the Arts
equity office.
At the same time, she said, gritty b-boy style has evolved to become more
institutionalized and is no longer a fringe culture.
“It's moved off the street into clubs and concert halls,” she said. “Yes, urban
arts happen on the streets, and it actually happens in every other environment
you can imagine.”
While the council has funded hip hop artists since the start of the decade, the
genre is so diverse that it doesn't have numbers on how many grants have been
awarded. While the council has noticed a funding gap for hip hop artists, James
insists this is in no way based on resistance from the agency or Canada's
cultural elite.
Some traditionalists may bristle over the fact that a graffiti artist has just
as fair a shot at getting a cheque from the council as an oil painter, but
taxpayers should not mistake the council for writing cheques in support of
defacing buildings. Tagging a wall is seen as illegal vandalism by the council;
you'll have to take the spray paint to a canvas or gallery installation to get
a grant, James said.
Ripley is encouraged by the council's efforts, but said that from her own
dealings with street artists as the organizer of Ottawa's annual House of PainT
hip hop festival, the grants issued are not proportional to the size of the
growing urban art community.
“[The council] is improving its understanding. To me, it's like any other
well-established institution. It moves slowly in terms of catching up with the
times,” she said.
At the same time, Ripley noted that she's encountered many hip hop artists who
have never bothered to apply to the federal granting agency.
Break dancer Kate Alsterlund was turned off grant-writing after she was flatly
rejected twice by the Quebec Arts Council. But after Alsterlund – also known as
b-girl Lynx – drove from her Montreal home to Ottawa for the workshop, she
changed her mind.
As it turned out, the gulf between the hip hop artists and bureaucrats at the
workshop was small. Workshop participants cast off the stereotype of being
gritty anti-establishmentarians and eagerly took notes and asked questions like
keener high-school students, while the bureaucratic “suits” keenly offered them
hints on how to break into the establishment. For first-time applicants and
veterans alike, officers explained how to decode the funding categories to
figure out which grants artists had the best shot at getting, and how bad
audio-visual quality in a performance video could compromise an application.
“The workshop really confirmed it in my mind that I'm going to apply,”
Alsterlund said. “[The officers] were really human, very helpful … being able
to put a face to the person that I'm talking to is a great advantage.”
Shuni Tsou, one of the council's program officers, said participants were very
gracious.
“They're delighted to know that their art form is recognized,” she said. “It
boosts their confidence and reassures them that they're not isolated – that
government agencies take them seriously.”
She said the council has five more grant-writing sessions planned this month
for artists from all disciplines and genres, and hopes to draw a large crowd
from the hip hop community again.
Atherton didn't attend the recent workshop in Ottawa, but he's considering
popping in to one of the upcoming sessions.
He's intimately familiar with the red stamp of rejection that has marked all
five of his applications to public funding councils at the municipal and
federal levels.
“If they made it a little less bureaucratic, everybody would have more of a sporting
chance. What you really want to be judged on is the calibre of your work, not
how you fill out a form,” he said.
Atherton said he needs $15,000 a year just to break even in music production,
and though he's a bit jaded about arts councils, he might try his hand at
applying for a grant one more time. He joked that his history of denials has
made him more confident with women.
“I'll say, ‘She's out of my league – but wait, I got rejected by [Canada
Council for the Arts] and survived, so maybe I'll try it. Can't be too bad,'”
he said with a laugh. “You've got to have thick skin.”
Paula Abdul Not Returning To American Idol
Source: www.thestar.com - Associated Press
(August 05, 2009) LOS ANGELES – Paula Abdul announced Tuesday she is quitting American Idol, a show that she said became an
international phenomenon with her help.
"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return" to the hit Fox
TV singing contest, Abdul said in a posting on her Twitter account.
In a statement, Fox and the show's producers said Abdul was "an important
part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons, and we are
saddened that she has decided not to return to the show."
They said she was a "tremendous talent" and wished her the best.
On Monday, Fox announced that Kara DioGuardi would return for a second season
on the American Idol judging panel that includes Simon Cowell and Randy
Jackson. The addition of Grammy-nominated songwriter DioGuardi last year raised
questions about Abdul's future.
In July, Abdul told The Associated Press that she had been invited to stay with
Idol as long as the show lasted and that she was optimistic that she
would be able to negotiate a new contract.
But the 47-year-old singer-dancer said the invitation to come back was subject
to agreement on the details of a new deal.
Abdul began working with a new manager, David Sonenberg, in recent weeks.
"I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a
show that I helped from Day 1 become an international phenomenon," Abdul
said on Twitter.
New
Maxwell Video Makes Rare, Online World Premiere
Source: www.eurweb.com
(August 05, 2009) *WHO: Steve
Harvey, host of the nationally syndicated radio program The
Steve Harvey Morning Show and Maxwell, Columbia Records modern R&B artist.
WHAT: Maxwell's highly-anticipated music video for "Bad
Habits," the second single from his #1 album BLACKsummers'night, will
world premiere on www.steveharvey.com/.
The sizzling, hot video features Maxwell and actress Kerry Washington.
This unique opportunity will expose the video to Harvey's loyal audience of
urban music fans. Steveharvey.com is the online destination for fans of Harvey
and The Steve Harvey Morning Show - which is heard on more than 60 radio
stations by approximately six million weekly listeners.
It's also the number-one syndicated morning show in the top 25 metro markets
with Persons 12+, Adults 25-54, Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Women 25-54
(Source: Arbitron, WI'09, MSA, Exact Times, AQH Top 25 Metros).
"Bad Habits" is charting at #9 on the Urban AC chart and trending
upwards according to Mediabase, the leader in radio airplay monitoring. One of
the year's most heavily anticipated records, first-week sales of
BLACKsummers'night hit 316,499. Released on July 7, it's the first full-length
Maxwell release since his critically-acclaimed #1 album Now.
WHEN: today, Wednesday, August 5, 2009
WHERE: http://www.steveharvey.com/
About Maxwell
Maxwell began redefining classic soul music for a new generation with
the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang
Suite, in April 1996. Fuelled in part by the RIAA gold single, "Ascension
(Don't Ever Wonder)," the Grammy-nominated Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was
certified platinum in March 1997, less than a year after its release, and
achieved double platinum status, in recognition of sales of more than 2 million
copies in the US alone, in 2002. Maxwell followed up with his MTV Unplugged EP,
released in July 1997 and certified gold in September 1999. His second
full-length album, Embrya, was released in June 1998 and certified platinum in
May 1999. Another Maxwell single, the hit "Fortunate," was certified
gold in June 1999. His third studio album, Now, entered the Billboard 200 at #1
in August 2001. To date, Maxwell has achieved 10 gold and platinum
certifications from the RIAA for his albums and singles.
For more information, Maxwell fans can visit his official website www.musze.com,
www.myspace.com/maxwell, www.twitter.com/_maxwell or www.columbiarecords.com/.
MUSIC TIDBITS
Mary
Mary Has No. 1 Song And Album
Source: www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2009) *The Grammy Award winning duo Mary
Mary has both the nation's No. 1 gospel song and gospel album
this week as "God In Me," the latest single from the group's
chart-topping "The Sound," moves from No. 6 to No. 1 on the Billboard
Gospel Songs chart. "The
Sound" has occupied the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Gospel Album chart for
more than six months since its release in October 2008 and has been No. 1 for
15 consecutive weeks beginning April 19.
The album has also spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top
Christian Albums chart. Featuring Kierra
"Kiki" Sheard, "God In Me," perhaps the first gospel record
to use auto-tune, continues Mary Mary's visionary blending of urban, hip-hop,
soul, funk and pop elements with the power and conviction of their Christian
message.
John
Legend Teams With Gap's (Product) Red
Source: www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2009) *John
Legend is joining with Gap to create an exclusive (RED)ZONE
seating section for his Aug. 13 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York
City. Every purchase at select Gap
stores in the New York tri-state area will include a special access code
enabling shoppers to obtain one ticket in the reserved RED(ZONE) section for
John Legend's MSG show. With each
(RED)ZONE ticket purchase, shoppers will automatically receive a second ticket
to the show free of charge. Additionally, a select number of fans seated in the
(RED)ZONE section will be randomly selected to go backstage to meet Legend
after the evening's performance.
Proceeds from the ticket sales in the (RED)ZONE will benefit HIV/AIDS
programs in Africa supported by the Global Fund. "I love working with (PRODUCT)RED
because they provide an innovative way for great brands and great artists to
come together to powerfully and effectively fight AIDS in Africa," said
Legend. "I'm proud to be partnering with Gap and (RED) on my upcoming
Madison Square Garden concert, because I know the money generated will go
directly to help get medicine to those who need it." Tickets are available by visiting
www.johnlegend.com/red and entering the special access code as prompted -
tickets are $66.00 each and are subject to limited availability. Fans can log
on to www.gap.com/johnlegend to locate participating Gap stores in the New York
tri-state area.
Costner Aims To Aid Victims Of Collapse
Source: www.thestar.com - The Canadian Press
(August 05, 2009) CAMROSE, Alta.–Hollywood
actor and singer Kevin Costner says he hopes to return to Alberta to support those affected by the Big
Valley Jamboree catastrophe. "We are so sad about the loss of life and
injury that occurred on a day that carried so much promise, but turned so
wicked so quickly," Costner said in a statement. "We hope to return
to Alberta in the future to help with the healing." Costner and his band,
Modern West, were the next band scheduled to take the stage when a terrifying
windstorm swept through the jamboree site on Saturday. The strong blast of wind
collapsed the main stage so quickly that organizers didn't have time to warn
thousands of fans around it. Concertgoer Donna Moore was killed when a giant speaker
fell on her and two others were left with critical injuries. As many as 65 more
were treated for non-life-threatening wounds. Costner was on the stage when it
collapsed and was caught under some debris but was not injured. However, two of
his crew members were hurt, said his publicist, Arnold Robinson.
Music, Moves And Mouthfuls
Source: www.globeandmail.com - Brad Wheeler
(August 04, 2009) It's true that
Harbourfront's South Asian food fair this weekend doesn't have the
alliteration and exclamation of Masala Mehndi Masti, the bash that recently
dominated Exhibition Place. It doesn't have that event's stature as North
America's largest free South Asian festival, either, and it isn't hosted by a
big telegenic star like Lisa Ray. But you can bet your bolly that
Harbourfront's Zaika (running Friday to Sunday) has plenty cooking, with
programs in an array of arts and culture, as well as zingy cuisine. Music: Things start with an array of South
Asian anthems sung by children tomorrow (7 p.m.), but the highlight comes from
Rhythm Dhol Bass, a trio of brothers (and one of the sibling's wives) who blend
mainstream Bollywood with hip hop (Saturday, 9:30 p.m., on the main
stage). Moves: Four programs of dance
include the colourful choreography of Rhythm Team (traditional and classic
Indian dance, Saturday, 1 p.m.); DK Bollywood Dance Pak (Saturday, 5:30 p.m.);
Dandiya (stick-tapping folk dance, Saturday, 9 p.m.); and Shan-e-Punjab
(Canadian-Punjabi dance squad, Sunday, 5 p.m.).
Mouthfuls: Speed-eating events have contestants gulping Golgappa (tiny,
fried and roti-like; Saturday, 1:30 p.m.), downing dosa (crepes; Saturday, 3:30
p.m.), and talking with their mouths full (marshmallow-like sweets are stuffed
in the yaps of competitors, who attempt to speak difficult phrases; Sunday, 3
p.m.). Zaika: A South Asian Food
Festival happens Aug. 7 to 9, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W.,
416-973-4000.
::FILM NEWS::
Foxx,
Latifah Together For 'Valentine's Day'
Source: www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2009) *Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah and Carter
Jenkins have joined the all-star cast of the romantic comedy "Valentine's
Day," being directed by Garry Marshall for New Line.
The ensemble already includes Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba,
Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, Ashton
Kutcher, Topher Grace, Emma Roberts, Hector Elizondo, Patrick Dempsey and Eric
Dane, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The project, already in production, follows five slightly interconnecting
stories in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day.
Foxx plays a TV sports reporter who has been sent out on a "Valentine's
Day in L.A." story instead of covering his usual beat. Latifah plays the
agent for Dane's character, a football player.
Jenkins plays a young man with a hectic schedule who struggles to find time to
lose his virginity with his girlfriend (Emma Roberts).
Foxx next stars in "Law Abiding Citizen." Latifah can be heard in
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs."
EUR
REEL TALK: The Spotlight Is On Indie Film Makers Patrick Pierre
Source: www.eurweb.com
-
(August 05, 2009) *Film director, Patrick Pierre is set to become a household name. On August 18, 2009,
Pierre’s debut feature film “The
City is Mine” will be released. Best
Buy, Blockbuster, NetFlix, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and all major retailers
will be carrying the DVD.
“This is unreal; this is my first
feature film, and to have your first feature film distributed worldwide is an
incredible accomplishment,” says Pierre.
“The City is Mine” is an urban crime
drama that tells the story of a former drug king pin in a fictional city who
went to jail for five years. Upon his release, he is out for revenge on the
individuals who took control of the streets while he was gone. But, the twist
comes when he meets and falls in love with a young lady.
“I wanted to make a good action movie with a lot of heart. You see a lot of
urban drama and there’s action but no substance,” says Pierre.
“The City Is Mine” intertwines the grittiness of the street, the vulnerability
of romance, and the dilemma of having the heart to do what has to be done,
either regain the city or proceed with love.
Pierre is excited about “The City Is Mine” which screened to a sold out crowd
in his hometown Trenton, New Jersey. He credits the wider exposure the film
will get to his participation in the American Black Film Festival, which
afforded him the opportunity to meet distributors. Thus, allowing for the major
retail distribution “The City Is Mine” will have on August 18, 2009. Presently,
the trailer is available on youtube.
Pierre’s upcoming projects include a film called “Visions of Yvette” and hopes
to work with superstar singer Mary J. Blige. As both a writer and
director, Pierre likes to challenge himself to take on new and un-chartered
projects. “The City Is Mine” is the gateway in Pierre’s vision of continual
groundbreaking films.
Filmmaker Rashaad Ernesto Green will undertake his first feature film, “Gunn
Hill Road,” this fall. The film is based on his cousin’s life’s story connected
to his gay son.
Green is no stranger to pulling from personal experience when building his
stories. His recent short, “Cuts,” was inspired by his own experience. The
young boy in the film, having struck out in the game of baseball, tries to
prove his manhood to his father by pursuing a girl.
Green has triumphed with several shorts, earning awards at several film
festivals, including recognition in 2009 at the prestigious Sundance Film
Festival. Green has also been a winner of the American Black Film Festival HBO
shorts competition with his 2008 “Premature” short.
A New York native, Green has had the opportunity to work with director Spike
Lee, who he has been compared to. For more on Rashaad Ernesto Green visit www.mialmafilms.com.
BETJ, HBO, and Showtime have all had a part in screening the films of Ya’Ke
Smith whose films include “Shopping,” “Change,” and “Hope’s War.”
Smith, a Houston native, has been writing, directing, and producing film for 13
years. His films have not only screened on major cable networks, but have also
garnered attention at film fests including: The Los Angeles Pan African, The
Cannes, and ABFF.
The subject matter of Smith’s films has varied, but has had a pulse on the
events of the day including the foreclosure situation many Americans find
themselves in, the Iraq War, and post-Hurricane Katrina story lines. Smith is
both an avid writer and researcher. His films portray the reality of the
subject matter because he submerges himself in the stories when he approaches
the topics.
“What we put on the screen is like what a painter puts on the canvas; they’re
sort of creating their reality on this canvas; we’re putting our reality on
screen,” Smith says of himself and other film directors.
Smith says the challenges for filmmakers and artists of any kind are difficult.
“Being a filmmaker it’s hard so you gotta keep your spirits up. I keep mine up
by laughing,” says Smith.
Smith does believe in the destiny of his film career.
“I believe that this is what God has ordained me to do and that’s one of the reasons
that I just can’t stop because I know that when you’re sort of chasing after
destiny that it’s hard, and what does it say? The race is not given to the
swift but the one who endures to the end because that’s the only way you’re
going to have staying power, is if you stay in the game.”
For more on Smith’s films visit www.exodusfilmworks.com
FILM TIDBITS
Plenty Of High-Profile Canadian Content At
This Year's TIFF
Source: www.thestar.com - The Canadian Press
(August 04, 2009) Films
from Canadian heavyweights Atom Egoyan, Don McKellar, Sandra Oh and Christopher
Plummer are among the homegrown offerings coming to the Toronto
International Film Festival this September. Festival organizers announced the Canadian slate of
movies at a news conference today in downtown Toronto. Galas include Egoyan's Chloe,
a sexual thriller starring Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson. McKellar stars in
Dilip Mehta's Cooking With Stella as a chef in New Delhi, while Oh
appears alongside Woody Harrelson in the superhero flick, Defendor. Also
coming to TIFF is the North American premiere of the Terry Gilliam-directed The
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, featuring the late Heath Ledger in his
last role. Plummer also appears. The festival will be closed by Jean-Marc
Vallee's Young Victoria, a dramatization of the turbulent first years of
Queen Victoria's rule and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. TIFF runs
Sept. 10 to 19.
::TV NEWS::
Critics' Awards The Anti-Emmy? Not Quite
Source: www.thestar.com
- Rob Salem
(August 03, 2009) PASADENA, Calif. - The 25th annual
Television Critics Awards were handed out here Saturday night, with Battlestar Galactica winning
Program of the Year, Mad Men Outstanding Drama, The Big Bang Theory Outstanding
Comedy and True Blood Outstanding New Program.
The Vancouver-shot Galactica could be considered a surprise winner –
though not to anyone in the room that night, as critics more than anyone else
have embraced and celebrated this remarkable show. Emmy voters are a different
story: in its four seasons, the show won only two, both for Special Visual
Effects.
But to quote Angela Lansbury – and several did that evening – from her 1996 TCA
acceptance speech for Career Achievement, "F--- the Emmys."
That being said, and so eloquently, this year's TCA Awards were atypically
reflective of recent and current Emmy contenders. In an anecdotal retrospective
of the ceremony's 25-year history, founding member Ed Bark recalled such Emmy-overlooked
TCA honourees as Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire, Lonesome
Dove and, twice now, Hugh Laurie.
But the Emmys may finally be catching on. Big Bang Theory's breakout
star, Jim Parsons, the TCA winner for Individual Achievement in Comedy, is also
nominated in the corresponding Emmy category. Yet Big Bang itself, voted
TCA's Outstanding Comedy, will go unacknowledged by Emmy this year.
Mad Men was an Emmy winner last year and is nominated again. Likewise, Breaking
Bad star Bryan Cranston, honoured by the TCA for Best Individual
Achievement in Drama, was also an Emmy winner last year and now again a
nominee.
The Toronto-shot Grey Gardens, the TCA's Outstanding Movie/Miniseries,
is all over the Emmys this year, in the same category, and also with co-stars
Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lang both vying for Best Movie/Mini Actress.
This compelling dramatization of the documented lives of destitute Kennedy
cousins Big and Little Edie Beale, reveals, according to awards host Chelsea
Handler, "the slippery slope from shoving a Hot Pocket in your purse to
having racoons living in your walls."
Additional TCA honours went to HBO's Alzheimer's Project for News &
Information and Yo Gabba Gabba for Children's Programming. Along
with all the other winners, ER star Noah Wylie was on hand to accept the
TCA Heritage Award on that show's behalf, and television veteran (since 1949)
Betty White came to collect hers for Career Achievement.
The uniquely convivial, strictly private event is traditionally preceded by the
biannual business meeting of the 200-plus TCA critics, catered the last few
years by "TV's Craig Ferguson," a former awards host, accompanied as
always by a handwritten note, which this year read: "I wanted to send you
fish and chips, but that comes wrapped in newspaper, and you can't find that
stuff any more. So enjoy this pizza instead."
At cocktail parties pre- and après-awards, honourees and honourers munched and
mingled, the Galactica gang particularly ebullient over the
after-the-act recognition of the just-ended sci-fi series.
They are also, no doubt, glad to already be gainfully employed, particularly
the Canadian contingent: Tricia Helfer has four or five projects on the go,
including the pilot episode of Human Target this fall. Michael Hogan has
a guest shot alongside Jamie Bamber and series regular Tahmoh Penikett on Dollhouse.
Grace Park has joined the cast of The Border.
Cosmic colleague Katee Sackhoff has scored a role on the next season of 24
– though perhaps not quite as active a role as she may have hoped.
"I'm stuck in the CTU headquarters," complains the former faux
fighter pilot. "And once you're in there, you can't get out for weeks and
weeks. And you have to wear the same outfit every day.
"I want to get out there and mix it up. Give this girl a gun."
Michelle Forbes was simultaneously celebrating the Battlestar win and
another for the first season of True Blood. Yet all she talked about all
night was the Canadian-made Durham County, in which she also has a
featured role.
"It's an incredible show," she raved to anyone within earshot.
"One of the best things I've ever done."
BACK TO THE FUTURAMA: I managed to get this onto our website (exclusively, I
might add) Friday afternoon, even as it was happening. But for those who still
prefer paper, here it is again:
All five members of the Futurama voice cast – Billy West, Katey Sagal,
John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille – have resolved their
salary dispute with Fox and will indeed return for the new 26-episode season
recently ordered by Comedy Central.
Negotiating tactics got ugly last month when studio execs pre-emptively
announced a casting-call audition for voice talent to replace the original
actors.
"We are thrilled to have our incredible cast back," creator Matt
Groening and co-producer David X. Cohen said in a joint statement shortly after
the Star broke the story. "The call has already gone out to the
animators to put the mouths back on the characters."
TV TIDBITS
Futurama Cast Members Ink New Deal With Fox
Source: www.thestar.com
- Rob Salem
(July 31, 2009) LOS
ANGELES–The Star has learned exclusively that the entire voice cast of Futurama has just signed a new contract with Fox after weeks of
intense salary negotiations. As late as last week, the network was threatening
to replace the original voices of Matt Groening's cult-hit cartoon, to the
point of actually announcing a casting call for voice actors to replace
them. The Futurama voice cast
includes John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, Tress MacNeille and Katey
Sagal. The compromise agreement, with the studio paying more and the actors
accepting less, comes after the announcement of a 26-episode pick-up here by
Comedy Central. Futurama also airs internationally in syndication, has
produced four bestselling straight-to-DVD movies (later cut into episodes) and
an upcoming feature film. "We are thrilled to have our incredible cast
back. The call has already `gone out to the animators to put the mouths back on
the characters," Futurama creators Groening and David X. Cohen said
in a joint statement.
CBC Denies The National Is Moving
Source: www.thestar.com - Greg Quill, Entertainment Columnist
(August 05, 2009) CBC's
senior programming brass has a secret plan to move the public broadcaster's
flagship nightly news program The National from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. to make room for more prime-time
entertainment programming, an industry watchdog group says. The plan was
strenuously denied yesterday by Kirstine Layfield, the executive director of
English network programming. Ian Morrison, a spokesperson for the Friends of
Canadian Broadcasting lobby group, told the Star the new prime-time
shows may not be Canadian and that The National may be reduced by 30
minutes. The shorter news program would save the cash-strapped broadcaster
several million dollars in costs traditionally attached to the nightly
newscast, hosted by Peter Mansbridge.
Layfield, through a spokesman, called the Friends alert "absolutely
false" and "a baseless rumour." She demanded it be removed from
the watchdog's website, friends.ca. She added that CBC's fall schedule, yet to
be made public, will contain more Canadian content, not less. Morrison remains
unconvinced. "Very reliable, trustworthy sources at the highest levels in
the CBC tell us The National move will definitely be happening sometime
in the fall, maybe as early as September," he said. "The CBC board of
directors hasn't been told of the plan." What might happen to The Hour with
George Stroumbolopoulos, which at present follows The National at 11
p.m., is open to conjecture, Morrison added. "It doesn't make economic
sense to swap the two shows, since The Hour, even in an earlier slot, is
unlikely to draw an audience larger than 175,000, while The National currently
has 800,000 viewers."
CBS
Books Brady-Hosted 'Let's Make A Deal'
Source: www.eurweb.com
(August 04, 2009) *Wayne Brady has been tapped to host an update of the classic game
show "Let's
Make a Deal," which CBS has revived to replace its recently
cancelled daytime soap "Guiding Light." "The original "Let's Make A
Deal" was a game show staple when it was hosted by Monty Hall from 1963-1977.
Hall will return as a creative consultant on this latest version. "I am honoured and ready to go; it is
not every day that you get to be a part of a franchise like "Let's Make A
Deal," said Brady. "I think it's a perfect fit." After announcing in April that "Guiding
Light" would end its 72-year run on Sept. 18, CBS began a search for a
replacement that was focused primarily on game shows. "Wayne Brady is a unique talent whose
extraordinary skills in both hosting and improvisation make him the perfect
choice to host this legendary and engaging show. We are thrilled to be adding
him and "Let's Make A Deal" to the number one daytime line-up,"
says Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programs, CBS. "We're
also very lucky to have Monty Hall as our creative consultant, bringing with
him a knowledge of game shows that will prove invaluable as we present this
classic game show to a whole new audience.
::THEATRE NEWS::
Jude Law Rules Hamlet
Source: www.thestar.com
- Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic
(August 03, 2009) LONDON–What a piece of work
is Jude Law's Hamlet.
If anyone in the long sold-out audiences at Wyndham's Theatre (or the eager
crowds who line up at 4 a.m. for the 30 rush seats available each day) is
coming just to watch the cinematic satyr splash around in the Shakespearean
shallows, they are bound to be seriously disappointed.
Law isn't offering one of those misguided movie-star visits to the stage that
prove as embarrassing as they are profitable (Julia Roberts, all is not
forgiven).
Quite the contrary. Law fills the cavernous spaces of Michael Grandage's clear,
chilly production with a rare intensity, coupling icily precise diction with
fluidity of motion that most performers from Cirque du Soleil would envy.
From his very first soliloquy ("O, that this too too solid flesh would
melt") Law makes it clear that he means business. He's consumed with a
hatred for his own body and the world it inhabits, spitting out words like
"rank" and "gross" as though they choked him and
illustrating the "dexterity" with which his mother betrayed his
father with a convulsive shudder that makes itself felt throughout the theatre.
Law is fond of the extravagant gesture, the contemptuous sneer, the bold
delineation of emotion. It makes for a richly theatrical and always riveting
Hamlet, but it's neither as intellectually rigorous as that of Ben Carlson nor
as deeply passionate as that of Paul Gross, to name two examples from the last
decade at Stratford.
Much has been made of the fact that Law begins: "To be or not to be,"
the most famous of all Hamlet's speeches, flattened against a craggy battlement
in a snowstorm, but it's the perfect objective correlative for Grandage's
wintry view of the play.
Taking as his cue the line: "Denmark's a prison," Grandage
commissioned a set of towering walls that extend seemingly to infinity from
designer Christopher Oram.
From windows at a great height, Neil Austin's lighting hits the actors in
shafts of frigid white illumination, pinning them down like butterflies on a
specimen table. There is virtually no furniture and almost everyone wears black
(of no particular period, but with a modern feel). Although some writers have
criticized this socio-political vagueness, I found it actually liberated the
script to stand on its own.
Grandage keeps things moving briskly and the virtually uncut show whizzes by in
just over three hours.
Most of the supporting cast are strong, especially Denmark's royal couple.
Kevin R. McNally begins by playing Claudius with such oleaginous blandness that
I went into intermission feeling disappointed by his work. But as the events of
the play unravel, so does McNally, showing us the tortured demon underneath and
offering us insights into a creature truly damned long before his final demise.
Penelope Wilton's Gertrude is daringly vulnerable, a woman long past her prime,
holding onto the shreds of one last passion, however soiled it may make her
feel inside. Her confrontation scene with Law is one of the night's most
electric. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a wonderfully complete Ophelia, making every
aspect of her character – from moonstruck love to pathetic madness – fit into
one overall conception of the role.
On the down side, Alex Waldmann gives us a Laertes made up of posey attitudes
and Ron Cook's Polonius has such an air of recycled material that it should
have arrived in a blue box.
But in the end, Law is the reason you've come to the theatre. He will always
fascinate you and often thrill you, but seldom move you, for this is not by any
means a sentimental production.
This very contemporary man is fighting desperately to hold on to some inner
integrity, some true sense of self, while the manipulating world around him is
intent on turning him into just one more malleable cipher.
::OTHER NEWS::
Richard
Jeanty In 'Dangerous' Territory
Source: www.eurweb.com
- By Kenya M. Yarbrough
(August 03, 2009) “The title “The
Most Dangerous Gang in America: The Police,” came from the police themselves,” Jeanty said. “I
talked to many cops and I have friends and family members that are police
officers that admitted to being in a gang – the toughest gang in the world.
When you look at the way they operate most of the time, that’s what they act
like. Police officers have to stick together no matter what, whether they’re
right or wrong.”
*Author Richard
Jeanty’s book “The Most Dangerous Gang in America: The Police,”
touches on a number aspects of police injustice, profiling, stereotypes, hiding
behind procedures, and brutality toward homosexuals. The book also covers the
other side of the coin in revealing the criminals’ role in perpetuating these
issues.
With the recent arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jeanty's book
couldn't be more timely. Professor Gates was arrested in his home two weeks ago
and charged with disorderly conduct. The charges were quickly dropped in swirl
of debate of the racist overtones of the arrest.
Jeanty, who considered the charge bogus believes that “cops have the liberty to
throw around the words ‘disorderly conduct’ when there is nothing else they can
pin on somebody.”
He told EUR’s Lee Bailey that this particular false arrest is common on police
forces all over the country and continued that the information he shares in
“The Most Dangerous Gang” is very relatable to the recent incident.
“When a police officer is called to a scene, they’re supposed to try to tone
everything down, not escalate everything, but a lot of times when they're
called on the scene, especially the arrogant cops, they’re all about trying to
arrest somebody or tell somebody to shut up. Sometimes they just don’t know how
to assert control in the proper way and they escalate the situation and most of
the time it results in death for us,” he said.
“But my book is not one-sided,” he
continued. “It also talks about the criminal activities that go on that the
police have to deal with as well, but more importantly my book is talks about
the escalating situations brought on by cops.”
Jeanty’s book isn’t without the cops' perspective, he revealed. As a matter of
fact, he said that it was police officers who self-proclaimed themselves as the
“toughest gang.”
“The title came from the police themselves,” he said. “I talked to many cops
and I have many friends and family members that are police officers that
admitted to being a gang – being the toughest gang in the world. When you look
at the way they operate most of the time, that’s what they act like. Police
officers have to stick together no matter what, whether they’re right or
wrong.”
Furthermore, the author talks about how African American officers find
themselves caught in the gang mentality also. In reflecting upon how black
officers spoke out in defense of Sergeant James Crowley, the officer involved
in the Gates incident, Jeanty said that the Police Benevolent Association had
quickly orchestrated it.
“The most powerful force around the police force is the police union,” he said.
“They put that together.”
Jeanty said that African American police officers find that they have to be a
part of the police fraternity and that change will come about only when there
are more black officers on the force.
“African Americans who join the force sort of have to become part of that.
They’re still in the minority. You don’t have enough African American cops on
any police force around the country to make a big enough difference to help
change these people’s attitudes.
In the meantime, Jeanty said, black
officers still have to watch out.
“These cops can defend another cop as
much as they want, but when they’re out of uniform, they can be victimized just
as much. I talk about that in the book,” he said and then reflected on the
black New York officer who was chasing somebody that broke into his car, but
was shot and killed when a responding white officer shot him in the head.
“And we saw on national news when that police captain in Florida was pulled
over and identified himself as an officer, but he was still treated like he was
nothing,” he continued.
Jeanty, who said that he had been a victim of the police on more than one
occasion, said that the Gates could have easily been more intensified or even
tragic.
“If Louis Gates wasn’t as prominent as he is, he would’ve had to deal with a
criminal smear on his record. And this happens every day,” he said.
Jeanty said that he believes that even the
President of the United States, who initially remarked that the Cambridge
Police had acted “stupidly,” had a personal stake in the matter.
“He wasn’t the politically correct Obama that he usually is because it came
from a personal place,” he said. “Knowing what he knows and the experience he
has, he couldn’t fake it. Obama understands, him being the president of the
most powerful country in the world still doesn’t put an end to what we as black
men have to deal with every day. He understands that.”
“The stereotype is that we’re mostly
drug dealers, we’re thieves, we’re robbers – we can’t be anything else. Those
things have to be broken down, but they’re not yet, so I talk about that in the
book,” Jeanty said.
Jeanty’s “The Most Dangerous Gang in
America: The Police” is available now.
“I do have a follow up I’m calling ‘The
Most Dangerous Murderers in America: The Police,” he said. “With that one I’m
going to be highlighting the cases where they’ve actually killed people for no
reason and they were never prosecuted.”
“I’m one of those guys who truly believes that if I don’t stand for something,
I can fall for anything,” he said. “I can go out there and get shot for no
reason. I’d rather get shot for a reason than stay silent and be killed without
a voice.”
Read part 1 HERE.
::DANCE NEWS::
Surprising
Movement That Startles The Eye
Source: www.globeandmail.com - Paula Citron
Ballet
Biarritz / BJM Danse Montréal
Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur
In Saint-Sauveur, Que., on Friday and Saturday
(August 03, 2009) If you love the new and the different in dance, FASS
should be on your radar. The initials stand for Festival
des arts de Saint-Sauveur whose
calling card is presenting North American premieres.
Take for example France's Ballet
Biarritz, which performed before embarking on a tour of South
America. In short, FASS bagged the first showing on this continent of
choreographer Thierry Malandain's Le Sang des Étoiles (Blood of the Stars)
. The work proved to be utterly refreshing, beautifully danced and
imaginatively conceived.
The festival, situated in the Laurentides resort town north of Montreal, also
presents a playbill of Canadian dance and music, but rarely seen foreign
companies are the jewel in its crown.
The word “ballet” in Ballet Biarritz is a misnomer. It refers to the fact that
the 16 dancers are impeccably ballet trained, which is obvious in Malandain's
choreography. The dance aesthetic, however, is relentlessly contemporary.
Le Sang des Étoiles is inspired by the myth of Callisto and her son
Arcas from Ovid's Metamorphoses . After being seduced by Zeus, Callisto
is turned into a bear roaming the forest by Zeus's jealous wife Hera. When
Callisto is about to be shot during a hunt by the adult Arcas, Zeus deflects
the arrow and reunites mother and son as bears in heaven. Le Sang des
Étoiles is much more than storytelling. One of Malandain's signatures is
his clever use of classical music, and while he does put aspects of the myth
into his choreography, such as the rape of Callisto duet, he also uses the
music of Mahler, Strauss, Emile Waldteufel and Ludwig Minkus as commentary.
For example, the lush, romantic strains of Strauss's Blue Danube
accompanies a group dance to depict the rapture of hormones raging as a
disguised Zeus seduces Callisto through the waltz. Similarly, another company
ensemble danced to Waldteufel's fiery Espana waltz to symbolize Hera's
anger. The poignant Mahler songs are used mostly for scenes of great passion or
emotion such as the beautiful trio showing the birth of Arcas and his twin,
only to have one twin be taken away, representing the jealousy of Hera.
The metamorphoses of Callisto is delightfully witty. As the company performs an
ensemble representing Callisto's memories, both happy and sad, across the back
of the stage comes a line of dancers holding hands, each one wearing sections
of the bear costume: The first person has a leg covered in fur, the second
person, two legs and an arm, and so forth, until the penultimate dancer is
wearing the entire body costume. The final dancer sports the bear's head.
Malandain's choreographic movement is filled with illusions. The opening
section is performed to Strauss's rousing Marche Egyptienne . The motif
that appears throughout this choreography is the stiff-leg, stiff-arm look of a
mechanical doll. Later, we recognize that this motif represents the bear walk.
Malandain also has different dancers perform the key roles, making the myth a
universal rather than a particular story.
As a choreographer, Malandain loves supple bodies, and he bends and moulds his
dancers into stunning shapes that flow seamlessly together. He also throws in
flexed feet and arms, shudders, contractions, distortions, flat-footed jumps –
all manner of deliberately surprising movement combinations that startle the
eye. The effect is to take dance to a deeper level of meaning.
Malandain's pièce de résistance is to borrow shamelessly from the Russian
classic La Bayadère . Instead of a single line of ballerinas
representing the shades of the dead, Malandain uses Marius Petipa's famous
repeating choreography for his line of bears. This parody is a huge risk, but
it works.
Praise should also go to costume designer Jorge Gallardo, who has provided
richly hued blue and black tunics, skirts, bodices, dresses and jackets, worn
by both sexes, depending on the scene. All the men and women garbed in
sumptuous full skirts during the Strauss waltz were delicious eye candy.
Also appearing at FASS's opening weekend was the always popular BJM Danse
Montréal (the former Les Ballets Jazz) in a clever program that twinned
Vancouver's Crystal Pite ( Short Works: 24 ) with New York-based Aszure
Barton ( Jack in a Box ), both works which have been favourably reviewed
before. The first is a collection of 24-minute vignettes that shows dancers in
many emotional moods. Barton's piece depicts the changing interest as school
kids grow into adults, including the all-important pursuit of sex.
The women are two of Canada's leading choreographers who happen to be both
witty and demanding dancesmiths. It was fascinating to see Pite's sleek and
detailed gestural language and body isolations on the same program as Barton's
easy flow and looser, high-energy physicality. The company looks really good
performing original choreography as it seems both young and fresh.
Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur continues until Aug. 8, see www.fass.ca
for details.
Can Evan Dance His Way To The Top?
Source: www.thestar.com - Debra Yeo, Toronto Star
(August 05, 2009) He has endured a season's
worth of short jokes. And judge Nigel Lythgoe once told him he looked like
"a dancing milkshake."
But Evan Kasprzak, the diminutive dancer from Michigan, is standing tall as one
of the four finalists on So You Think You Can Dance.
We know lots of you are going to watch tonight when Kasprzak, a 21-year-old
university student who's reportedly been dancing since he was 6, faces off
against Brandon Bryant, 19, Jeanine Mason, 18, and Kayla Radomski, 18, for the
title of "America's Favourite Dancer."
SYTYCD was the top-rated show in Canada last week, with a whopping 1.9
million viewers tuning in Thursday to find out who was in the top four and 1.6
million catching last Wednesday's performance show.
Alas, it's America that gets to do the choosing, not us. Our turn comes next
week with Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, which premieres
Tuesday.
In the meantime, how about that Evan?
It would be fair to call him the surprise of the season. He's a Broadway dancer
who can be elegant one moment, reminiscent of Gene Kelly in An American in
Paris, but pulling faces and acting goofy the next, more like Donald
O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain.
The judges have not always been kind. "There just didn't appear to be
anything passionate in your face," Mary Murphy told him after a rumba with
Mason. "You've got sort of heavy eyelids, which sometimes makes you look
like you're drowsy."
By Kasprzak's own admission, in an interview with the New York Post,
he's not the sexy type. "Shaking my hips and getting a little sexy are
definitely out of my comfort zone," he said. Still, there's something that
enabled him to vault past more macho competitors like Ade Obayomi.
As guest judge Ellen DeGeneres put it a couple of weeks ago: "I love that
you have just an essence about you that's Evan. You're not just like another
dancer. You're a special, special guy."
Another guest judge, choreographer Debbie Allen, pointed out that the dancer
who wins isn't always the best, just the favourite.
Tonight's performance show airs at 8 p.m. on Fox and CTV; the finale's tomorrow
at 8. We take a look at the final four:
Putting best feet forward
One of these four will step away with $250,000 U.S. and the title of
``America’s favourite dancer.’’ So You Think You Can Dance wraps up with a
two-hour performance show tonight and a two-hour finale tomorrow, packed with
favourite past routines and guest judges.
Brandon, 19
Why he might win: He’s a powerhouse dancer, able to tackle any style and
make it look effortless. His lifts and acrobatics are breathtaking.
Why he might not: Viewers might assume he’s so good they don’t have to vote for
him.
Memorable moment: His solo last week, an athletic tour de force that he
performed to “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana, won him a standing ovation from
the judges. Nigel Lythgoe declared it “one of the best solos we’ve ever seen on
the show.”
Evan, 21
Why he might win: He has an underdog charm and warmth. He really does
remind you of Gene Kelly sometimes, particularly during his solos.
Why he might not: He’s not as physically commanding or technically proficient
as Brandon.
Memorable moment: During the top 10 show, Evan had to do a Viennese waltz with
the taller Kayla, which involved some difficult lifts. Guest judge Debbie
Allen’s assessment? “You handled your big woman, baby.”
Jeanine, 18
Why she might win: Sassy and sexy, she puts her all into every number.
Guest judge Lil’ C says she has a “voracious appetite for success and triumph.”
Why she might not: Her technique isn’t as flawless as Kayla’s or Brandon’s.
Memorable moment: In an emotional contemporary number with dancer Jason Glover,
Jeanine played a character trying to resist her best friend’s advances. It
brought the pair a standing ovation. “Wow girl, whatever happens you are going
to have an amazing future, because you are a star,” said judge Mary Murphy.
Kayla, 18
Why she might win: She’s been on Mary Murphy’s Hot Tamale Train for weeks.
The judges can’t say enough about the perfection of her technique and her
beautiful lines.
Why she might not: There’s almost an air of teacher’s pet to the non-stop
praise. She may be a little too perfect.
Memorable moment: She was superb in a Broadway routine with Jason that led
guest judge Mia Michaels to declare that Kayla will win Tony after Tony after
Tony if she takes her talent to Broadway for real. “When you look in the
dictionary at girl, perfection and star, there’s a picture of Kayla.”
::SPORTS NEWS::
Tiger Woods Leaves Everyone In His Dust
Source: www.thestar.com
- Larry Lage, Associated Press
(August 03, 2009) GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP,
Mich.–Tiger Woods has another trophy for his overflowing collection.
Woods shot a 69 yesterday and coasted to a three-shot victory with a 20-under
268 at the Buick Open for the 69th PGA Tour title of his career.
"This one feels good," he said.
He improved to 36-1 when he has the outright lead after 54 holes. Woods has
four wins this season – doubling the total of his nearest competitors – in just
11 starts since returning from knee surgery.
Roland Thatcher (64) briefly shared the lead at 17 under and finished tied for
second with Greg Chalmers (68) and John Senden (70).
Woods will play at the Bridgestone Invitational next before going to Hazeltine
for the PGA Championship, his final chance to win a major this year.
He is set to compete in two straight tournaments going into a major for the
first time in his career.
Woods moved into first place in the FedEx Cup standings and padded his lead on
the money list with another $918,000 (U.S.) after winning his third Buick Open,
tying Vijay Singh's record total.
Woods' career victory total trails Jack Nicklaus (73) and Sam Snead (82). He
reached victory No. 69 at the age of 33 years and seven months – almost seven
years quicker than Nicklaus and eight years sooner than Snead.
Dating to the 2006 British Open, he has won 21 of 39 starts on the PGA Tour.
Woods, playing for the first time since missing the cut at the British Open,
got off to a brutal start at the Buick Open.
He shot a 71 in the first round and said it was probably the worst putting
performance of his career, leading to him skipping his post-round practice
session because he was so mad.
It only added to his legacy because he went from a tie for 95th to a victory,
the largest jump he has made from the first round in a tournament he ended up
winning.
"I was so far back that I was fortunate enough to put two good rounds
together," he said.
Woods roared back into contention with the best five-hole start of his career –
going 6 under in the second round – en route to a 9-under 63.
He hit the ball relatively poor in the third round, but made enough clutch
shots to finish with a 65 and a one-shot lead going into yesterday.
Without much of a sweat, he avoided losing an outright lead after 54 holes for
the first time since 1996 and improved to 47-3 when he at least shares the lead
following three rounds.
Thatcher shot a 9 under yesterday and shared the lead briefly, but Woods pulled
away with 15 holes left on a vulnerable Warwick Hills.
Woods, whose previous three wins this year were each by one shot, spent much of
yesterday with a two-shot cushion before he took a three-stroke lead with
birdie at 16.
His businesslike final round included three birdies and no bogeys.
"I got fooled a few times by the wind and I hit some bad shots,"
Woods said.
SPORTS TIDBITS
Long-Time Gymnastics Coach And Judge Dies
Source: www.thestar.com
- David Grossman, Sports Reporter
(August 03,
2009) One of the builders of gymnastics in Canada, Dr. Gene Sutton, died yesterday in Hamilton. Sutton,
since 1993, was a former executive member of the Canadian Olympic Committee,
but spent a great deal of her time as a teacher, coach and judge of gymnastics
since 1976. She judged the sport at numerous international events including the
Olympic Games. A former president of Sport Hamilton, Sutton was on a committee
to try bring the 2010 Commonwealth Games to the Steel City. Thousands of
students benefitted from Sutton's dedication to gymnastics and she was Chair of
the Canadian Olympic Academy as well as an instructor in sport and recreation
at Mohawk College. In 2003, Sutton was the Chef de Mission for the Canadian
team at the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo. A member of the Gymnastics Canada
Board of Directors for 21 years, Sutton was instrumental in developing a new
model for judging gymnastics at the school and club levels while with
Gymnastics Ontario.