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Yesssssss!!!
Barry Bonds is the new Home Run king!!!
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds raised both
arms over his head like a prize fighter in victory, fists clenched
-- and then he took off. It was over at long last.
Barry Bonds is baseball's new home run king. Bonds hit No. 756 to
the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home
that very point. He broke Hank Aaron's storied record with one out
in the fifth inning, hitting a full-count, 84 mph pitch from Washington's
Mike Bacsik.
"I knew I hit it," Bonds said.
"I knew I got it. I was like, phew, finally." Bonds sent
the ball arcing high into the night, 435 feet into the right-center
field seats.
"Thank you very much. I got to thank
all of you, all the fans here in San Francisco. It's been fantastic,"
he said shortly after crossing home plate, his godfather, Willie
Mays, at his side. "I've got to thank my teammates for their
support," Bonds said. "Through all of this, you guys have
been strong, and you've given me all of the support in the world
and I'll never forget it, as long as I live."
After thanking his children, he said:
"I'm glad I did it before you guys went to school." To
the Nationals, he said: "Thank you for understanding this night.
It means a lot to me." Conspicuous by their absence were the
obviously bigoted commissioner and sellout Hammerin' Hank himself.
(Hank Aaron did read a prepared statement ) Though he was on hand
for the tying homer three days ago, deciding to put baseball history
ahead of the steroid allegations that have plagued the Giants slugger,
Bud Selig wasn't there for the record-breaker.
As for Aaron, he said all along he had
no interest in being there whenever and wherever his 33-year-old
mark was broken. He was true to his word, but he did offer a taped
message of congratulations that played on the stadium's video board
during a 10-minute tribute, although he never actually spoke directly
to Barry Bonds). "It is a great accomplishment which required
skill, longevity and determination," he said. "Throughout
the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball
and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years.
I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family
on this historic achievement. "My hope today, as it was on
that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record
will inspire others to chase their own dreams," he said.
"My dad," he said, looking to
the sky and choking back tears. "Thank you."
"This is the greatest record in all of sports," Giants
manager Bruce Bochy said. "We are all fortunate to witness
it. It's awesome. This road to history has been a lot of fun."
Former commissioner Bowie Kuhn
watched Aaron tie the record but was not present for the record-breaker,
a slight that bothered many fans of Aaron. Selig is a close friend
of Aaron's and offered Bonds tepid congratulations when he tied
the record. "I think Hank is his own man," Mays said.
"I think if he wanted to be here he would be here." Selig
was in San Diego on Saturday night when Bonds hit his 755th home
run to tie Hank Aaron's record, but he left California the following
day and was not in San Francisco for the Giants' series against
the Nationals.
Supreme
Court limits schools considering race, setting the way for "legal"
segregation - MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press (edited
by Shock)
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday
rejected integration plans in two major public school districts
but left the door open for the limited use of race to achieve diversity
in schools. The decision in cases affecting how students are assigned
to schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle could imperil similar
plans in hundreds of districts nationwide, and it further restricted
how public school systems may attain racial diversity. The court
split, 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts announcing the court's
judgment. The court's four liberal justices dissented. "The
way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating
on the basis of race," Roberts said.
Yet Justice Anthony Kennedy would not
go as far as the other four conservative justices, saying in a concurring
opinion that race may be a component of school plans designed to
achieve diversity. To the extent that Roberts' opinion could be
interpreted to foreclose the use of race in any circumstance, Kennedy
said, "I disagree with that reasoning." "A district
may consider it a compelling interest to achieve a diverse student
population," Kennedy said. "Race may be one component
of that diversity." He agreed with Roberts that the plans in
Louisville and Seattle violated constitutional guarantees of equal
protection. Justice Stephen Breyer, in a dissent joined by the other
liberals on the court, said Roberts' opinion undermined the promise
of integrated schools that the court laid out 53 years ago in its
landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. "To invalidate
the plans under review is to threaten the promise of Brown,"
Breyer said. While Roberts said the court was being faithful to
the Brown decision, Justice John Paul Stevens in a separate dissent
called the chief justice's reliance on Brown to rule against integration
"a cruel irony."
Of course uncle
tom Justice Clarence Thomas, the court's only black member, wrote
a separate opinion endorsing the ruling and taking issue with the
dissenters' view of the Brown case. "What was wrong in 1954
cannot be right today," Thomas said. "The plans before
us base school assignment decisions on students' race. Because 'our
Constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes
among citizens,' such race-based decision making is unconstitutional."
The two school systems in Thursday's decisions
employ slightly different methods of taking students' race into
account when determining which schools they will attend. Federal
appeals courts had upheld both plans after some parents sued. The
Bush administration took the parents' side, arguing that racial
diversity is a noble goal but can be sought only through race-neutral
means. The Louisville case grew out of complaints from several parents
whose children were not allowed to attend the schools of their choice.
Crystal Meredith, a white, single mother, sued after the school
system turned down a request to transfer her 5-year-old son, to
a school closer to home.
Louisville's schools spent 25 years under
a court order to eliminate the effects of state-sponsored segregation.
After a federal judge freed the Jefferson County, Ky., school board,
which encompasses Louisville, from his supervision, the board decided
to keep much of the court-ordered plan in place to prevent schools
from re-segregating. The lawyer for the Louisville system called
the plan a success story that enjoys broad community support, including
among parents of white and black students. Attorney Teddy Gordon,
who argued that the Louisville system's plan was discriminatory,
said Thursday, "Clearly, we need better race-neutral alternatives.
Instead of spending zillions of dollars around the country to place
a black child next to a white child, let's reduce class size. All
the schools are equal. We will no longer accept that an African-American
majority within a school is unacceptable." Louisville Mayor
Jerry Abramson said he was disappointed with the ruling because
Louisville's system had provided "a quality education for all
students and broken down racial barriers" for 30 years. He
said he was confident school leaders would come up with effective
new guidelines.
Timbaland
Arrested In Germany After Brawl
By Mike Winslow
Super producer Timbaland was arrested
on Sunday (June 10) in Cologne, Germany, after he and and other
men allegedly attacked a bar patron. According to German media,
the incident occurred in front of the Hotel Intercontinental, shortly
after Justin Timberlake concert at the Cologne Arena. A man became
visibly irate when he noticed Timbaland, born Timothy Mosely, speaking
to his girlfriend. According to reports, the man was noticeably
drunk and aggressive and allegedly called Timbaland the "n"
word a heated exchange of words.
Timbaland was signing autographs in front
of the hotel when the fight continued outside, resulting in the
man being sent to a local emergency room with injuries to his back
and thorax. Police arrested Timbaland and his bodyguards at the
hotel and eventually hit the rapper with charges of causing bodily
injury to the man who was allegedly assaulted. Timbaland was released
on $750 euro. (about 1000 US dollars)
Rihanna
Lands 'Celebrity Legs of a Goddess' Award
Venus Breeze, the newest razor from the
world's leading female shaving brand, presented chart-topping singer
Rihanna with the 2007 Venus Breeze "Celebrity Legs of a Goddess"
award during a ceremony in New York City The talented singer, who
recently released her highly anticipated third album, Good Girl
Gone Bad, will also work with Venus Breeze to help judge the 2007
"Legs of a Goddess" contest. This nationwide competition
is a search for a woman with gorgeous legs who also exudes confidence
and charisma. The 2007 contest celebrates the launch of Venus Breeze,
the first 2-in-1 razor with built-in shave gel bars, making shaving
easier and more convenient than ever before. "I'm thrilled
that Venus Breeze thinks my legs are award-worthy and I'm excited
to kick off the search for the woman with the best legs in America,"
said Rihanna. "This contest is a fun way for women to showcase
confidence, charisma and gorgeous legs on the runway."
The contest will visit five cities throughout the summer beginning
in July. Contestants will be invited to strut their stuff on a catwalk
and "strike a pose" for a panel of judges to determine
if they have what it takes to be awarded the Venus Breeze "Legs
of a Goddess" title. The judges will be looking for a woman
with toned, shapely legs who exudes poise and confidence.
After
embarassment from National outrage, LA judge sends a screaming Paris
Hilton back to jail
Paris Hilton was taken from a courtroom
screaming and crying Friday seconds after a judge ordered her returned
to jail to serve out her entire 45-day sentence for a parole violation
in a reckless driving case."It's not right!" shouted the
weeping Hilton. "Mom!" she called out to her mother in
the audience. Hilton, who was brought to court in handcuffs in a
sheriff's car, came into the courtroom disheveled and weeping. Her
hair was askew and she wore a gray fuzzy sweatshirt over slacks.
She wore no makeup and she cried throughout the hearing. Her body
also shook constantly as she dabbed at her eyes. Several times she
turned to her parents, seated behind her in the courtroom, and mouthed,
"I love you." She
had been brought to court in sheriff's custody today for a court
hearing on her early release from jail after back-and-forth decisions
on whether she could participate by telephone from her home. Hilton,
appearing to be in handcuffs, cried after she was placed into a
black-and-white patrol car, which sped away from her home with lights
flashing as news helicopters pursued, broadcasting live TV coverage.The
car carrying her disappeared into the courthouse's underground parking
lot, avoiding a swarm of news media, and her parents then arrived.
In the hearing, which began at late morning, a judge was to listen
to the city attorney's complaint that the county sheriff did not
have the right to reassign her to electronically monitored home
detention after only three days in jail for violating probation
in a reckless driving case.
On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Michael
T. Sauer ordered that Hilton be brought to Friday's hearing. But
early Friday
a court spokesman announced that she would be allowed to participate
by telephone, which is common in misdemeanor cases. Then, in a reversal,
the spokesman said the judge had ordered the Sheriff's Department
to pick her up and bring her to court.
"What transpired here is outrageous,"
county Supervisor Don Knabe told The Associated Press, adding he
received more than 400 angry e-mails and hundreds more phone calls
from around the country. Hilton's return home "gives the impression
of ... celebrity justice being handed out," he said.
Bail
set for Power 99 DJ on alleged gun incident
Uncle O, whose real name is Tracy Jackson,
is wanted by police for participating in an aggravated assault at
Philadelphia's Samba Nite Club. Uncle O and his on-air partner Mikey
Dredd make up the top rated Hot Boyz on Philadelphia's Power 99.
According to reports, Uncle O is said to have participated is the
beating of the Philadelphia night club owner. One witnesses told
MediaTakeOut.com, "Uncle O was being taunted for being a fake
personality and having no real talent ... [then the victim] was
smashed with right hook and a Heineken bottle." Uncle O also
reportedly pulled a gun during the incident. Last night, authorities
confirmed that they have issued a warrant for his arrest.
Bail was set at $25,000 yesterday for
Tracy Jackson, better known as Power 99's "Uncle O," on
charges of pointing a gun at a club owner last weekend. Jackson,
36, surrendered Wednesday on a warrant charging him with aggravated
assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and other offenses
stemming from the incident early Sunday at Club Samba, Seventh Street
and Girard Avenue. The station declined comment but an internal
memo said Jackson was suspended pending an investigation. The station,
owned by Clear Channel Communications, said it was "long committed
to peace on the streets" and added that " 'Uncle O' has
been at the forefront" of that movement. Jackson was released
after the bail hearing. His next court date is set for Wednesday.
Paris
Hilton's money gets her released From Jail after serving only 3
days, for undisclosed "illness"
Sheriff's Department Says Heiress Will
Be Under "House Arrest" For 40 Days
LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2007 Paris Hilton
checked into the facility Sunday night to begin serving her sentence
for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
She was released on June 7, and will serve 40 days at home while
wearing a monitoring bracelet. (CBS/AP) Paris Hilton was released
from and L.A. County jail early Thursday due to an unspecified medical
condition after serving only three days of an already reduced 23-day
sentence. She was sent home with an electronic monitoring ankle
bracelet and must remain there for 40 days, according to sheriff's
spokesman Steve Whitmore. Whitmore says Hilton left the Century
Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood just after midnight. She
checked into the facility just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday to serve
23 days, down from the 45 days she was originally sentenced to.Whitmore
says Hilton's sentence will return to a 45-day term, with five days'
credit for time served.
Hilton was housed in the "special
needs" unit of the 13-year-old jail, separate from most of
its 2,200 inmates. The unit contains 12 two-person cells reserved
for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile
inmates. She didn't have a cellmate. After her first night in jail,
Hilton's lawyer, Richard A. Hutton, said she was doing well under
the circumstances. "She's using this time to reflect on her
life, to see what she can do to make the world better and hopefully,
in my opinion, to change the attitudes that exist about her among
many people," Hutton said after visiting Hilton.
There's your proof........Money can
buy justice/injustice
MARLEY
MARL Suffers Heart Attack
Hip-hop legend MARLEY MARL is recovering
in a New York hospital after suffering a heart attack yesterday
(05Jun07). The iconic producer - real name Marlon Williams - played
a vital part in establishing the rap industry in the early 1980s
and 1990s, and has produced tracks for artists including Rakim,
Big Daddy Kane and LL Cool J.
While full details of the 44-year-old's health scare are as yet
unknown, he is understood to be in a stable condition and representatives
have asked fans to pray for his speedy recovery.
The
Game Hit With Felony Charges After L.A. Melee
The Game was charged in Los
Angeles with making a criminal threat and possessing a firearm in
a school zone. The felony charges against the 27-year-old rapper,
whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, stemmed from a fight
during a Feb. 24 pickup basketball game in South Los Angeles, the
district attorney's office said. Taylor pulled a gun from his red
Cadillac Escalade after punching a player on the opposing team and
threatened to shoot him, police said.
The hip-hop star was arrested May 11 at
his Glendale home by police executing a search warrant and was released
on $50,000 bail. He also is charged with exhibiting a firearm in
the presence of an officer.Taylor was scheduled to be arraigned
in Los Angeles. He faces more than five years in state prison if
convicted. His attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, did not immediately
return a message seeking comment.
Hi-Five's
Tony Thompson dead at 31
Former Bad Boy artist and member of the
group Hi-Five, Tony Thompson, was found dead on Friday in Waco Texas.
He was 31 years old. Thompson's friends told the Waco Tribune-Herald
that he died of a drug overdose. Thompson signed with Jive Records
in 1990 as part of Hi-Five. Thompson released his solo debut, "Sexsational,"
in 1995 after Hi-Five split.
Tony Thompson
(born September 2, 1975 died June 1, 2007) was the lead vocalist
of the R&B group Hi-Five. Thompson, who was raised in Oklahoma
City, started singing solos in the local church choir at the age
of eight. He was noticed by a producer and made a cut of a demo
with Roderick Clark, Russell Neal, Marcus Sanders, and Toriano Easley,
acquaintances from his days in Waco. Hi-Five signed with Jive Records
in 1990. The quintet's self-titled debut album went multi-platinum
and created several hits, including "I Like the Way (The Kissing
Game)," "I Can't Wait Another Minute," and "Just
Another Girlfriend". Thompson
had his own record label, N'Depth, and had re-incarnated Hi-Five
with four new members, one of whom was his younger brother. The
group's new album, The Return, was released in 2006.
HBO
Chief Takes Leave After Assault Arrest - JACQUES
STEINBERG
The chairman and chief executive of HBO,
Chris Albrecht, announced this afternoon that he was taking a leave
of absence after being charged with assaulting a girlfriend in a
Las Vegas parking lot early Sunday. In
an e-mail message today to all HBO employees, Mr. Albrecht said
he was "deeply sorry for what occurred in Las Vegas this weekend"
and that it represented "a wake-up call to me of a weakness
I thought I had overcome long ago."
The chief operating officer of HBO, Bill
Nelson, will assume Mr. Albrecht's duties temporarily. "We
take these matters very seriously and will monitor the situation
closely," said Richard D. Parsons, the chairman and chief executive
of Time Warner, which owns HBO.
Mr. Albrecht's leave comes at an inopportune
time for HBO. Hours after the Las Vegas police released Mr. Albrecht
on Sunday, the cable channel broadcast the latest episode of its
marquee series, "The Sopranos," which will ends its six-season
run on June 10. In Sunday's episode, one character, Christopher
Moltisanti, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, was depicted
as committing an act of violence after getting drunk. As
the channel's chief executive, Mr. Albrecht had been involved in
assembling HBO's next act, including the debut of what it hopes
will be its next signature series, "John From Cincinnati."
That show fuses elements of surfing culture, quantum physics and
troubled family life, and it is to have its premiere immediately
after the final scene of "The Sopranos." Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police said the incident took place at about 3 a.m. on Sunday in
the valet parking area of the MGM Grand Hotel, the site of a championship
bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The officer
described the altercation as "a battery" and then defined
such an offense as involving "hitting, choking or shoving."
The victim was said by the police to have been Mr. Albrecht's girlfriend,
but they have not released her name.
50
Cent, T.I. Speak On Lyric Censorship - Gail Mitchell
Top rappers 50 Cent and T.I.
spoke their minds about the recent controversy over inappropriate
language in hip-hop yesterday (May 16) during a press conference
to announce the 2007 BET Awards nominees. As previously reported,
a group of urban leaders has urged the music industry to censor
the words "b*tch," "ho" and the "N-word"
from future hip-hop albums. "It's
not really a tragedy to me that that's happening," 50 Cent
said. "I think for a moment a lot of people forgot that our
country's at war. They'll point to usage of content in music like
hip-hop and say it maybe influences violence on some levels and
not point to actual films that are released and have similar content.
I personally believe on every level that it's easier to attack an
individual than it is to go after a corporation. They'll go after
a specific hip-hop artist as opposed to a Paramount or a Columbia
Pictures."
A journalist pressed that 50, who repeatedly
promoted his upcoming album, "Curtis," during the Q&A,
hadn't truly answered the question, adding, "Do you feel compelled
at all to get with the program and not use certain words?"
"Music is a mirror and hip-hop is
a reflection of the environment we grew up in, the harsh realities,"
50 Cent said. "If I ask you to paint a picture of the American
flag and not use the color red, you'd have a difficult time. So
to capture what we're trying to in this art form, I'm sure some
conservative Americans can't actually ID with it because of their
lifestyle and the way they've been brought up. They haven't been
exposed to these realities. I understand it. I'm actually angry
at some points when I'm confused or I don't have information. Again,
I understand why I'm constantly being attacked on some levels. It's
difficult to find hip-hop that has had any success that hasn't had
content on some level that was a little racy." Adding
his perspective, an impassioned T.I. remarked, "What 50 was
trying to put into words without losing his temper is it all starts
at home. I'm a father of five. And my kids watch BET. They watch
all kinds of videos, they watch movies, they listen to music, they
like 50 and Lil' Wayne, whomever you can mention. But when my children
look at these videos or listen to this music, I don't care how impressionable
it is. They know they aren't going to have to deal with 50. They're
going to have to deal with daddy. And that's the way it starts."
Against loud applause, T.I. continued,
"We look to rappers, athletes and stars to raise our children
instead of ourselves.
To blame hip-hop when they should be looking in the mirror and blaming
themselves ... you know, how much more time could I have been there
for my child? I'm on CD. He [the child] listens to me but I can't
listen back. I don't know what he's getting from it. You do. You
know when you wake up and see him dressed in a shirt you've never
seen him in before, and you figure this could be the beginning of
something, why don't you stop and talk to him about it. Ask where
he got the shirt from. If you don't do that, it will grow into something
bigger and bigger."
"The things I say come from the life
that I used to live," he said. "And this is a harsh reality.
Now, maybe most of you were fortunate enough to not have ever dealt
with that. Most of you all don't know what it's like to have to
sell some dope or you aren't going to have nothing to eat for the
next three days. Most of you all don't know what that life is like.
I know the B-word, the H-word and the N-word are the words under
attack right now. And I don't know if you know it or not, people,
but there are b*tches, n*ggas and hos who live in America. And as
long as that fact exists, I think rappers deserve the right to talk
about it."
Broadcasting
Company Takes Stand -
JIM SALTER
ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis company
that operates four TV stations and a hip-hop radio station said
Wednesday it is banning programming and music lyrics that it deems
violent, sexist and racist. The decision by black-owned Roberts
Broadcasting Cos. LLC comes less than a week after Don Imus was
fired by CBS Radio for calling members of the Rutgers women's basketball
team "nappy-headed hos."
Fallout from the incident renewed
debate about lyrics of many rap and hip-hop songs that are racially
charged and derogatory toward women. The Rev. Al Sharpton has called
entertainment the next battleground after Imus. St. Louis brothers
Michael and Steven Roberts operate a multifaceted business that
includes an aviation company, shopping centers, hotels, construction
firms and residential developments. The broadcasting unit includes
four television stations _ WRBU in St. Louis, WZRB in Columbia,
S.C., WAZE in Evansville, Ind., and WRBJ in Jackson, Miss. The company
also operates WRBJ-FM, a hip-hop station in Jackson.
"We take tremendous pride
in being African-American and refuse to let anyone, white or black,
strip us of that pride," said Steven Roberts, president and
chief operating officer of the company. The decision will have an
immediate impact on WRBJ-FM. Rather than censoring offensive words,
Roberts spokeswoman Keesha Dhaene said, "We're going to ban
them altogether, which is a hard move for a hip-hop station. If
it's offensive in any way toward women, or African-Americans, it's
not going to be played on Hot 97.7."
Will
Downing Diagnosed With Debilitating Muscle Disorder
Vocalist Will Downing has cancelled
touring for the immediate future after being diagnosed with a disorder
called polymyositis, a debilitating chronic inflammatory disease
of the muscles that can possibly lead to the point where those afflicted
are no longer walk or move their bodies. Its cause is unknown. Downing,
46, has been hospitalized since January.
Although polymyositis can occur
at any age, it mostly affects adults in their 40s and 50s. It is
more common in blacks than in whites, and women are diagnosed more
often than men. According to the Mayo Clinic, periods of remission,
during which signs and symptoms improve spontaneously, rarely occur
in polymyositis. However, treatment can improve muscle strength
and function.
Downing says that he first came
down with symptoms over the holidays when he felt extremely tired
and sick. He adds that his fear of doctors kept him from discovering
what his affliction was. However, the singer says he is now in rehabilitation
and working to get himself back in shape. He's moving slowly, but
he's moving nonetheless and is thankful for that and for the fact
that his voice so far has not been affected. Downing says he still
plans to release a new CD this September on Peak Records, which
was co-founded by Russ Freeman of the Rippingtons. Our prayers go
out to Will and his family as he learns to live with the disease.
BLACK
FAMILY CHANNEL TO SHUT DOWN:
Atlanta-based cable company unable to secure significant distribution.
Multichannel.com is reporting
that the Black Family Channel will air its last broadcast on April
30 before shutting down permanently. The 16 million-subscriber network
-- co-owned by lawyer Willie Gary, former baseball star Cecil Fielder,
entertainer Marlon Jackson, cable veteran Alvin James and former
heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield - had trouble securing
significant cable and satellite distribution to remain in business,
sources tell the Web site.
The Atlanta-based network began broadcasting eight years ago offering
African-American-targeted, family-friendly programming, overseen
by actor/producer Robert Townsend. According to multichannel.com,
the Gospel Music Channel is angling to take over BFC's carriage
deals with cable operators. BFC executives confirmed negotiations
with Gospel and said, "It is not closing its doors," but
would not elaborate further, the Web site reported.
U.S.
album sales tumble, digital sales surge, fewer big names issue releases
- ALEX VEIGA
LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. album sales are down by 17 per cent so far
this year, a downward spiral caused in part by a surge in online
music purchases and fewer big-name albums being released in the
first quarter.
A total of 135.8 million albums were sold in the United States through
the end of last week, compared with 163.3 million in the year-ago
period, Nielsen SoundScan said.
The number of digital tracks sold, meanwhile,
jumped by 53 per cent to 250.8 million compared with 164.2 million
in the same period last year, the firm said. The
shortfall in album sales drops to 10.5 per cent when sales of digital
singles are counted as 10-track equivalent albums. "It's
not making up totally for the decline but at least it's able to
account for some of the decline in sales," said Chris Muratore,
vice- president of retail relations for Nielsen Entertainment. Still,
overall music sales are up by more than 17 per cent but that figure
includes all albums, singles, music videos and digital downloads.
The recording industry has seen CD album
sales decline for years, in part due to the rise of online file-sharing
but also as consumers have spent more of their leisure dollars on
other entertainment purchases, such as DVDs and video games. The
industry has benefitted from sources of revenue that weren't around
just a few years ago, such as mobile music sales. So
far this year, more than 72 million ringtones have been purchased
by mobile phone-users, said Nielsen RingScan, which began tracking
the sector last fall. One factor
in the decline of album sales is that record labels have cut back
on the number of new album releases by major artists early in the
calendar year.
"If you look at the last couple of
years, fewer and fewer of those acts have been released in the first
half of the year and this year has been horrible," Muratore
said. "It's proven that
if you put something out, an established name, a big name, people
are going to go buy the music." Crooner
Norah Jones and country singer Tim McGraw are the biggest acts to
release new albums this year, he said. Jones'
album, "Not Too Late," has sold about 1.2 million copies
so far this year, while McGraw's "Let It Go," has sold
570,000, SoundScan said. Fall
Out Boy's album "Infinity On High," has sold around 760,000
copies, the firm said. The other
top sellers this year have been albums released last year by the
likes of Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, and Akon. Last
year's biggest-selling album, the soundtrack inspired by the Disney
Channel movie "High School Musical," was released in January.
It sold more than 3.7 million copies. "Six
out of the past seven years, the No. 1 album was released no later
than May," Muratore said.

New York's powerful
Hip-Hop/R&B Station, WWPR vows to stop playing songs with degrading
images
WWPR (105.1 FM), one of two city radio
stations that feature hip-hop music, said yesterday morning it's
going to stop playing songs with degrading images.
"The station won't sound that different,
because we weren't playing a lot of that anyway," said program
director Helen Little. "What we're doing is holding labels
and artists accountable for what they say and how they say it.
"We want our listeners to know that
whatever they hear here, we thought about it." Little went
on the air yesterday morning with Ed Lover, Egypt and Donnell Rawlins,
music director Nadine Santos and guests who included activists Kevin
Powell and the Rev. Al Sharpton. This "town meeting" was
designed to involve listeners in a discussion of content issues
surrounding hip hop and radio. The discussion came as some critics,
including Sharpton, who pushed for last week's firing of WFAN's
Imus, vowed to turn their attention to negative images and lyrics
in hip-hop music. Lover and Little said, however, that Power had
been having this discussion for some time, and Santos, among others,
cautioned against linking Imus' comment about the Rutgers women's
basketball team with hip hop. "Let's not get it twisted,"
she said. "This isn't what hip hop is about. What Imus said
has nothing to do with hip hop." There was also discussion
over whether some listeners want more graphic lyrics. Little said
they may, and that's fine. "We're not saying you can't make
this music," she said. "Just we won't play it. "Our
intention is to encourage people not to talk this way anymore."
We did
it! - CBS fires Don Imus
It's over. CBS has canned Don
Imus, effective immediately, abruptly ending what for him was probably
the longest week in a long and often controverisal career. In
a statement released just minutes ago, the network announced that
the radio program, "Imus in the Morning," will "cease
broadcasting...on a permanent basis."
CBS chief, Leslie Moonves, said in, in
part, "From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply
upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air about
the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women's
Basketball Championship with such class, energy and talent."
He added, "Those who have
spoken with us the last few days represent people of goodwill from
all segments of our society all races, economic groups, men
and women alike. In our meetings with concerned groups, there has
been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our
young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their
way in this society. "That consideration has weighed most heavily
on our minds as we made our decision, as have the many emails, phone
calls and personal discussions we have had with our colleagues across
the CBS Corporation and our many other constituencies."
Gladys
Knight To Receive ELLA Award
Gladys Knight will receive the 16th annual
ELLA Award from the Society of Singers. The honor, named after its
first recipient, jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, salutes entertainers
for their musical successes and dedication to charitable and humanitarian
causes."It is a truly awesome feeling to be receiving this
honor. Ella was the sweetest and most beautiful person as a talent
and as a human being," Knight said Tuesday.Knight will receive
the award Sept. 10. Past winners include Elton John, Frank Sinatra
and Celine Dion.
"Gladys Knight has one of the greatest
and most distinctive voices of our time," said Jerry F. Sharell,
the Society of Singers' president and chief executive officer. (The
Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization offers services to meet
the emergency financial needs of professional singers worldwide.)Knight,
62, has won seven Grammys in her career, with hits including "Midnight
Train to Georgia" and "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be
the First to Say Goodbye)."
Suspect
Named In Jam Master Jay Murder
Federal prosecutors have alleged that a low-level career bandit
may hold the key to one of the more high-profile mysteries of the
hip-hop world: Who killed rap pioneer Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C.?
In court papers, the prosecutors
identify Ronald "Tenad" Washington as the armed accomplice
of a second unidentified gunman who shot Jay, whose real name was
Jason Mizell, inside his New York recording studio in 2002. They
say Washington also is a suspect in the 1995 fatal shooting of Randy
Walker, a close associate of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The papers
were filed earlier this month in the federal trial of Washington,
who was convicted in a string of armed robberies that occurred just
after Jay was killed. Prosecutors declined to discuss the unsolved
slayings. A Mizell family spokesperson welcomed news that authorities
had for the first time publicly identified a suspect, saying "We're
relieved there's some information coming out, although we understand
that it's not the full story." Washington, 45, has denied any
connection to either the Mizell or Walker cases. In a sworn statement,
he claimed hostile detectives had hounded him about the slaying
of his "childhood friend" Mizell and other crimes. Washington's
criminal record dates to 1982, and includes convictions for assault,
drugs and grand larceny, authorities said. Mizell was gunned down
Oct. 30, 2002, at his 24/7 recording studio in Queens. According
to a performer there, a man wearing a black sweat suit appeared,
embraced Mizell, pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and opened fire.
Gerald
Levert died of an accidental overdose
Gerald Levert's
death was an accident, caused by a fatal combination of prescription
narcotics and over-the-counter drugs. The drugs in his bloodstream
included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet,
along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines,
Geauga County Coroner Kevin Chartrand said. The official cause of
death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental.
Chartrand said his
office received a report Thursday from the Cuyahoga County coroner's
office, which conducted the autopsy. Levert, 40, son of O'Jays singer
Eddie Levert, died Nov. 10 in his suburban Cleveland home. He was
taking the pain medication
because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery
in 2005 to repair a severed Achilles tendon. The autopsy revealed
that Levert had pneumonia. Levert also took Xanax for anxiety attacks,
Gibson said.
Atlanta
officers to face murder indictment
Fulton DA seeks charges in shooting of elderly woman in her home
By BILL TORPY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton
County District Attorney Paul Howard will seek criminal charges,
including felony murder, against three Atlanta narcotics officers
involved in a botched drug raid that resulted in the shooting death
of an elderly woman, according to a proposed indictment. The proposed
indictment drawn up by the prosecutor's office names officers Gregg
Junnier, Jason R. Smith and Arthur Tesler. Howard accuses them of
felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, burglary,
making false statements and violation of oath. Defense attorney
Rand Csehy, who is representing Junnier, said he received an e-mail
from Howard's office Wednesday including the proposed indictment
and saying the prosecutor would go before a grand jury Feb. 26 to
seek charges against his client. Those three officers were involved
in securing a search warrant on Nov. 21 for the home of Kathryn
Johnston. Shortly before the raid, Smith told a magistrate he and
Tesler had a confidential informant buy $50 worth of crack at 933
Neal Street from a man named "Sam."
But, according to the proposed
indictment, no informant went to the house. Smith's attorney had
no comment on the matter, and Tesler's could not be reached. Eight
officers were put on administrative leave after the shooting. The
incident prompted an investigation that has included state and federal
authorities. Csehy responded angrily to the threat of an indictment
against his client, saying, "It's an overbroad indictment."
He complained Howard's office acted prematurely without consulting
with the FBI, which is still investigating.
"Paul Howard is no
longer part of a joint investigation," Csehy said. Patrick
Crosby, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said Howard had
not informed his office about plans to seek indictments. FBI spokesman
Stephen Emmett said, "We did not know this was taking place
prior. The FBI has been charged with leading this investigation.
And to date, this investigation has not been completed."Csehy
conceded his client may have made mistakes, but he said Junnier
didn't commit murder. "There was no malfeasance here. It was
sloppy police work," Csehy said. "It was cutting corners."
Anna
Nichole Smith Dead at 39
Anna
Nichole Smith has died according to her attorney Ronald Rale. She
was taken to hospital after collapsing in a Hollywood, Florida motel
and was later pronounced dead. Unconfirmed reports indicate that
Smith was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in her hotel room
earlier Thursday.
Smith gained
notoriety when she married the then 89 year-old billionaire J. Howard
Marshall in 1994. The two met at a Houston strip club where Anna
Nichole was performing. Marshall died 14 months later and Smith
found herself mired in a lengthy and bitter legal battle with her
late husband's family to claim one half of the billionaire's estate.
The litigation remains ongoing.
Smith was
spokesperson for weight-loss conglomerate TrimSpa and subsequently
dropped almost 70 pounds. By this time however Smith exhibited bizarre
public behaviour and many speculated that she was heavily self medicated.
Days after the birth of Smith's second child last year in Florida,
her 20 year-old son died suddenly. Autopsy reports indicated that
he had lethal doses of methadone and antidepressants in his system
at the time of his death. Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston
Texas was 39 years old.
Gillie the kid
arrested as drug house busted in Oxford Circle
By DAVID G
Gillie
Da Kid, aka Nasir Fard, 30, once a member of the local rap group
"Major Figgas." The group ruled the streets with their
CD a few years ago and then split up. Since then, police say, Fard
has become a major figure in his own right - with his mix CDs ...and
allegedly,the local drug trade. Fard and five of his associates
were locked up in Oxford Circle Tuesday night, after authorities
discovered that Fard was running two drug stash houses on Passmore
Street near Algon Avenue. Narcotics Capt. Chris Werner said investigators
combed through the properties and confiscated 89 pounds of marijuana
worth $404,000. Cops also got four pounds of marijuana from a Lexis
driven by one of Fard's friends. "They were supplying numerous
drug dealers all over the city, not just in the Northeast,"
said Sgt. Robert Friel of Narcotics Field Unit 2. Werner said FBI
agents were in Oxford Circle Tuesday interviewing residents about
another stash house, on Levick Street near Trotter, where cops confiscated
$6 million in cocaine in November.
The agents were tipped to check
out Fard's properties on Passmore and soon observed him receiving
a delivery of marijuana, Werner said. The FBI and city narcotics
officers set up surveillance for several hours and took down the
alleged dealers when they tried to leave Tuesday night in an array
of luxury cars, including a Jaguar and a Lexis. Also arrested were
Mark Jeffries, 41; Rhashima Brown, 34; Regina Little, 27; Garnell
Brown, 25, and Izeem Ruffings, 25 - all of Philadelphia. Each was
charged with conspiracy and possessing narcotics with intent to
deliver.
Warner
Music Quarterly Profit Drops
February 08, 2007
Warner Music Group Corp.
on Thursday (Feb. 8) posted a 74% drop in its quarterly profit and
fell short of Wall Street expectations on a weaker album release
schedule than a year before. A generally tough environment for music
sales also contributed to the shortfall, as a growing number of
consumers are downloading more music over the Internet, with such
services as Apple Inc.'s iTunes, rather than buying physical albums.
Music companies have raced to boost digital sales as a percentage
of overall revenue, but digital remains a relatively small piece
of the pie. The world's fourth-largest music company said profit
for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31 fell to $18 million,
or 12 cents per share, down from $69 million, or 46 cents per share
the year before. Revenue fell 11% to $928 million. Results missed
the average of Wall Street analysts' forecasts for earnings per
share of 24 cents and revenue of $943.9 million, according to Reuters
Estimates.
Albums by artists including
My Chemical Romance and Josh Groban sold worse than hit albums a
year earlier by such artists as Madonna, James Blunt, Enya and Green
Day. Recorded music sales fell 13% to $800 million, dragged by the
United States and Europe and dampening stronger sales in Asia Pacific.
Warner said digital music sales continued to increase their share
of total revenue to 11%, or $100 million. In Warner's U.S. recorded
music business, digital music sales amounted to $61 million, or
17% of its domestic business. The company said iTunes remains the
major outlet for U.S. consumers while mobile phone partnerships
delivered more digital sales internationally. The company said it
expects a better second half of the year based on its release schedule
and remains "confident" of its fiscal 2007.
Serena
Williams wallops Sharapova for eighth Grand Slam
MELBOURNE,
Australia -- Serena Williams answered her critics with an overpowering
victory in the Australian Open final.
Williams poses with the trophy
after winning her women's final match against Maria Sharapova. Unseeded
and ranked 81st, Williams won for her eighth and most improbable
Grand Slam title Saturday, beating Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2. "It
was an awesome win, because I had so many critics. So many people
... saying negative things," Williams said. "Saying I
wasn't fit, when I felt that I was really fit, and I could last
three sets.
"It's always like, tell
me no and I'll show you that I can do it. I get the greatest satisfaction
just holding up the Grand Slam trophy and proving everyone wrong."
Only the second unseeded woman to win the Australian title in the
Open era, Williams came to Melbourne Park with only three matches
at a low-key warmup tournament after missing most of last season
because of a knee injury. She will jump to No. 14 in the world next
week after capturing her first title in 15 tournaments since her
second Australian Open victory in 2005.
NIA
LONG IN STREET BRAWL: Actress' new guy and former one duke
it out.
*This is one of those stories that kinda
makes you wish you were there to witness it go down. It seems actress
Nia Long was kickin' it at the Grove shopping center in LA last
Friday with her new boo. But little did she and he know things were
about to get ugly.
According to the report from TMZ.com,
Massai Z. Dorsey, Long's baby daddy and her now ex, ran into the
pair. We're not sure what exactly happened, but apparently there's
bad blood between the dudes because a street brawl broke out between
Dorsey and Long's new guy, right in the middle of the shopping center!
When the dust cleared sources say Long's
new guy friend put a serious whipping on Long's ex leaving him lying
on the street as he and Long took off running. The source also says
that as Long was running she lost her shoe but didn't seem to care.
She left the shoe behind and kept running!
Commodores Member
Milan Williams Dies -Gail Mitchell,
L.A.
Milan
Williams, a founding member of the Commodores, died July 9 at MD
Anderson Hospital in Houston following a bout with cancer. He was
58. Williams played keyboards for the R&B/funk outfit, whose
members initially met as students at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee,
Alabama. Originally comprised of seven members, the Commodores'
lineup eventually included Thomas McClary (guitar), Lionel Richie
(saxophone), Walter "Clyde" Orange (drums), William King
(trumpet) and Ronald LaPread (bass). After touring as the warm-up
band for the Jackson Five, the Commodores signed to Motown subsidiary
MoWest in 1972.
The Commodores' first hit was the 1974
synthesizer-pumped instrumental "Machine Gun." Written
by Williams, the song climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard R&B
chart. The group went on to score seven No. 1 R&B hits, including
"Slippery When Wet," "Just To Be Close to You,"
"Easy," "Nightshift," "Three Times a Lady"
and "Still," the latter two of which also notched No.
1 on the pop chart. Richie left the group for a solo career in 1982,
and the Commodores later recorded for Polydor in the late '80s.
Williams was born in Okolona, Mississippi
on March 28, 1948. Before joining the Commodores, Williams played
keyboards for another Tuskegee band, the Jays. He is survived by
a host of family members, including his wife, Melanie Bruno-Williams,
two sons from previous unions, Jason and Ricci, two brothers and
a sister. Services will be held July 14 in Okolona. A memorial service
is slated for August in Los Angeles.
Noted fellow Commodore Orange, "
He gave all that he could give to the Commodores. He'll always be
remembered."
Singer-songwriter
Billy Preston dies at 59
- Thor Christensen
Billy Preston, the child prodigy and R&B
star who became an unofficial "fifth Beatle," died Tuesday
at age 59. The singer-keyboardist died at a hospital in Scottsdale,
Arizona, after a long battle with kidney failure. He'd received
a kidney transplant in 2002, but the kidney failed and he'd been
in a coma since November. With
his super-size Afro and gospel-fired funk, Preston became a top
soul star of the 70s and went to No. 1 on the pop charts with Will
It Go Round in Circles (1973) and Nothing From Nothing (1974). But
he'll be forever remembered for helping keep the Beatles intact
during their tumultuous Let It Be sessions. He was the only guest
artist ever credited on a Beatles single, Get Back, which was billed
as "The Beatles with Billy Preston."
He was born in Houston in 1946 but moved
at age 2 to Los Angeles, where his mother, Robbie Lee Williams,
played piano in nightclubs and churches. He mastered the keyboard
as a child, and by 10 was playing churches and had been hired by
Mahalia Jackson. In 1958, at age 12, he landed a cameo role playing
W.C. Handy in St. Louis Blues. Four years later, he joined Little
Richard's band and toured Europe, where he met a fledgling club
act called the Beatles.
In the mid-60s, Preston went from the
Shindig! house band to Ray Charles' group. An appearance with Brother
Ray on BBC-TV caught the attention of George Harrison, and in early
1969, at the peak of the Beatles' squabbling, he invited Preston
to play keyboards on the band's next LP. "I pulled in Billy
Preston on Let It Be because the others would have to control themselves
a bit more - John and Paul, mainly, because they had to, you know,
act more handsomely," Harrison told the music magazine Crawdaddy
in 1977. The partnership worked
brilliantly. Preston's majestic organ set up the perfect finale
to Let It Be, while his jazz-funk solos helped drive Dig It and
Get Back. His fiery remake of Get Back in 1978 was a high point
in the otherwise dismal film version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band. The Beatles signed him to their record label, Apple,
where he recorded two albums produced by Harrison. But he didn't
strike gold until a few years later when he moved to A&M with
Will It Go Round in Circles and the manic organ jam Space Race.
In 1975, he was the musical guest on the first episode of Saturday
Night Live. But even as he was riding high as a solo act, he worked
constantly behind the scenes, writing Joe Cocker's smash hit You
Are So Beautiful and serving as a sideman to the Rolling Stones.
Syndicated
untalented radio jock, Star, arrested for making on-air threats
against rival's daughter
The lawyer for fired New York radio jock
Troi "Star" Torain asked a court Tuesday to dismiss the
charges against his client in connection with on-air threats made
to the daughter of a rival disc jockey. Star, former co-host of
the syndicated "Star & Buc Wild Morning Show" on Power
105.1 FM, was arrested on charges of criminal possession of a weapon
and endangering the welfare of a child after he hurled a barrage
of racist and sexual insults about the wife and 4-year-old daughter
of Raashaun Casey, known as DJ Envy on New York's Hot 97.
Star's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said
Torain's remarks were indeed offensive, but were uttered in a moment
of frustration." Brafman also reminded the court that Torain
had apologized for his actions. "This case either does not
belong in criminal court at all, or if it does, the Hot 97 DJs should
both be arrested as well, if you apply the same legal theory used
to authorize the arrest of Mr. Torain," said Brafman, adding
that his client committed no crime with his handgun, for which he
had a license until police rescinded it following the on-air rant.
Brafman's court papers said nothing that his client did was "likely
to be injurious to the physical, mental and moral welfare of a child
under 17" and therefore the case should be dismissed. Star,
who was fired from his radio gig on May 10, is currently free on
$2,000 bail.
LARK
VOORHIES SUES NATIONAL ENQUIRER: Actress upset over story claiming
she had a cocaine problem.
Lark Voorhies, best known for her role
as Lisa Turtle on TV's "Saved by the Bell," has filed
a lawsuit against the National Enquirer for publishing a story that
suggested she was battling a cocaine addiction. In
Tuesday's filing obtained by TMZ.com, the actress is seeking unspecified
punitive damages as a result of the June 2005 article, which quoted
a "friend" of Voorhies' as saying she was strung out.
"Poor Lark-she's really in bad shape," the Enquirer quoted
the "friend" as saying. "She has a terrible drug
problem and is bipolar as well. It's very tough." Voorhies,
who refutes the claims, says she has "suffered humiliation,
mental anguish, emotional and physical distress, and has been injured
in mind and body" due to the allegations in the article.
Rapper
Beanie Sigel Shot During Robbery Attempt
PHILADELPHIA Beanie Sigel, the popular
rapper, was shot during an attempted robbery Thursday (May 24th),
but was able to drive himself to the hospital, police said.Sigel
was shot one or two times in the upper right arm shortly after 8
a.m. and was in good condition at the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania, police said.
Authorities said the holdup was attempted
by five males traveling in two cars, and there was some confusion
about where the shooting took place. Beanie's watch and jewelry
was taken. He left the hospital in a chauffeured car and went directly
to the studio to work on his upcoming project.
Halle
Berry Clashes With Disc Jockey
LONDON - What was meant to be a friendly
chat to promote the new "X-Men" movie turned into a frosty
discussion about race on a popular morning radio program, but the
British Broadcasting Corp. defended its disc jockey. Oscar-winning
actress Halle Berry appeared on Chris Moyles' Radio One breakfast
show Thursday and clashed with her host after he impersonated what
he described as a "big, fat, black guy." "Are
we having a racist moment here?" Berry, the first black actress
to win an Academy Award for a lead role, asked Moyles after she
took exception to his impersonation. Moyles, who is white, said
he just couldn't do American accents.
Moyles made it clear on air that there
was nothing racist in what he said, a BBC spokesman said Friday
on condition of anonymity, in line with the corporation's policy.
The exchange began when Hugh Jackman,
Berry's "X-Men: The Last Stand" co-star, jokingly suggested
that Moyles might take the role of his body double if he ever landed
the part of James Bond. "I could definitely do that,"
Moyles said before adding, "Put your hands in the air!"
A somewhat puzzled Jackman replied, "Are you some kind of Brooklyn
Bond?" Moyles replied: "I'm a black American guy. A big,
fat, black guy. Put your hands up in the air." The interview
continued, though the DJ later said Berry was "ratty"
- British slang for grouchy. Berry won an Oscar in 2002 for her
role in "Monster's Ball."
Heatwave
Frontman Johnnie Wilder Jr. Dies
Johnnie Wilder Jr., frontman and co-founder
of the 1970s R&B group Heatwave, died May 13 at his home in
Clayton, Ohio. He was 56. No cause of death has been made public.
In 1979, Wilder became paralyzed from the neck down after a car
accident and subsequently stopped touring with Heatwave, though
he continued to serve as lead vocalist. The band's hit singles include
"Boogie Nights," "Always and Forever" and "The
Groove Line."
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Johnnie's
principal alliance with music was his involvement with his high
school glee club. After graduating, he served three years in the
military in Germany and formed a five man vocal group that performed
primarily in military and civilian clubs in the surrounding area.
After their tour of duty ended, the original group started to disband,
but a small nucleus migrated to West Germany where they restructured
under various names, then Heat Wave to Johnnie Wilder Jr. and the
Chicago Heatwave. With the addition of a talented performer, Rod
Temperton (whose credits include having written "Thriller"
and "Off The Wall" for Michael Jackson), their band performed
throughout Europe, acquiring an enviable reputation and loyal following
at every stop. Eventually, the
band relocated to England, shortened its name back to Heatwave and
began to attract attention with the release of an original single
entitled, "Boogie Nights". By the time the song had reached
#1 in London, CBS records were already negotiating a lucrative international
distribution deal with GTO records, the group's London label. The
rest was history.
The next single, "Always and Forever"
propelled Too Hot To Handle to sales over three million units. With
the singles "Grooveline" and "Mind Blowing Decisions"
blazing the path, Central Heating also achieved multi-platinum status
in 1978. As Heatwave began producing its third album, Hot Property,
in recording studios located in various parts of the world, the
future could not have looked brighter to Johnnie Wilder.
That was before he decided to take advantage
of a break in the hectic recording schedule to visit family and
friends in his hometown of Dayton. As quickly as the plane could
land, a car could be rented, and he could drive downtown, Johnnie's
future, as he perceived it at the time, was over. The very moment
that an out of control van totaled Johnnie's car, he was paralyzed
with no body movement below the neck. It was a year before he was
released from the hospital. Yet immediately, he demonstrated his
amazing resilience. Though confided to a wheelchair, he traveled
on Heatwave's European tour, and even recorded lead and background
vocals on its fourth and fifth albums. Heatwave released seven albums,
beginning its 1977 debut "Too Hot To Handle" (Epic) and
including a 1997 reunion set, "Live at the Greek Theater"
(Century Vista). The group disbanded in 1983 after enduring a series
of member arrivals and departures (Temperton quit in 1978). The
Wilder brothers released "Sound of Soul" (Blatent) in
1989, and Johnnie recorded two gospel albums, "My Goal"
(Light) and "One More Day."
Finally.....untalented,
unfunny, sellout, Star Fired Over Sexual Statements About Rival's
Child
Troi Torain, known as Star of the Star and Bucwild Morning Show,
has been fired by Clear Channel the shock jock made sexually charged
statements directed to the 4-year-old daughter of a rival DJ. On
Monday May 8, Torain, an employee of New Yorks Power 105.1,
made several on-air sexual and threatening comments about the daughter
of Hot 97s DJ Envy.
"Yes, I disrespected your seed. If
you didn't hear me, I said, I would like to do an R. Kelly on your
seed, on your little baby girl. I would like to tinkle on her,"
the DJ said referring to an alleged videotape of the Chicago-bred
pop singer urinating on an underage girl. Star of the Star and Bucwild
Morning Show on New York's Power 105.1 radio station has been fired
for some very sexually charged statements made on the air. Clear
Channel gave Star (real name: Troi Torain) the axe after on-air
sexual and threatening comments were made on Monday (May 8) about
rival DJ Envy's wife and 4-year-old daughter. "Somebody holla
at me and tell me about his whore wife and his kid," Star said,
while on the air, offering $500 to any listener who could provide
information about the location of Envy's kid's school. "866-678-8270...Somebody
get at me about his whore. His whore wife and his kid, this little
ugly ass kid, I hear." "I'm disrespectin' your seed. I
would like to skeet on the face of your seed," continued Star.
Star's employer, Clear Channel, denounced the DJ's comments and
say they do not stand for that type of talk by their on-air talent.
"We will simply not allow racist
pedophiles to use the airways to harass children and families, and
create an atmosphere of hate, violence and bigotry in our community,"
said Council Member John C. Liu during a press conference held Wednesday
in New York. Both DJ's (Envy and Star) have been embroiled in an
on-air verbal war for weeks now, and this seemed to be the last
straw for Star. According to reports, a listener complained to a
New York City Councilman, who then called Clear Channel Radio President/CEO
John Hogan and demanded Star's dismissal.
Premier Radio Networks, a subsidiary of
Clear Channel, airs the Star and Bucwild Morning Show in cities
such as Philadelphia, Miami and Richmond, VA. Premiere Radio Networks
has suspended the show indefinitely and the rest of the Star and
Bucwild Morning team are on suspension pending further investigation.DJ
Envy said he found the comments deplorable and disgusting. "Any
man that says he would like to do an R. Kelly on a 4-year-old, who
claims he wants to tinkle on her and skeet on her face might be
a pedophile," DJ Envy told AllHipHop.com. "Instead of
keeping his hatred focused solely on me, he threatened to molest
my daughter. He's a coward who hides behind his microphone, who
will stop at nothing to generate ratings."
Latin
Singer Soraya Dead At 37
Singer/songwriter
Soraya, one of the first artists to write and record in both English
and Spanish, has died, Billboard has learned. She was 37.
The Latin Grammy winner died this morning
(May 10) in Florida. The singer had been battling breast cancer
for several years and was a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen
Foundation. Sources say she relapsed at the beginning of the year.
Soraya, whose mother, aunt and grandmother died of breast cancer,
was diagnosed with stage three of the disease in June 2000, just
as she was finalizing a new album with Universal Music Latino. She
successfully underwent treatment and returned to a new record deal
with EMI. Her 2003 album, the self-produced "Soraya,"
won her the first ever Latin Grammy for best singer/songwriter album.
Soraya's illness, compounded with her
family history of the disease, led her to become a tireless advocate
in the fight against cancer. In 2004, Billboard honored her with
its Spirit of Hope Award for her tireless work to raise awareness
on the prevention and cure of breast cancer in the Hispanic community.
"Basically my life is split in three," Soraya told Billboard
at the time. "My music career. My life. And my third part is
this [the fight against breast cancer]. It's a full time job."
Soraya released her last album in 2005. This
week, prior to her death, she posted a goodbye letter to fans on
her Web site. "I know there are many questions without answers,
and that hope doesn't leave with me, and above all, that my mission
does not end with my physical story," she wrote.
Federal
Judge Rules in Favor of Graffiti Artists in NYC Lawsuit
A federal judge has ruled in favor of
seven graffiti artists who filed a first amendment lawsuit against
the City of New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Councilman Peter
Vallone, Jr. Judge George B. Daniels granted the group's request
for a preliminary injunction against recent amendments to anti-graffiti
legislation that went into effect on January 1.Effective Thursday,
the New York Police Department and all city agencies will be largely
prohibited from enforcing the amendments pending final outcome of
the case.
An underlying lawsuit will now be litigated
with the injunction in place. "Today's decision is a victory
for the plaintiffs and everyone else whose First Amendment rights
were being trampled upon with these laws," said fashion designer
Marc Ecko, who has actively supported the graffiti artists and was
present when the decision was made. "I am very pleased that
the courts have recognized the hypocrisy of this anti-graffiti legislation
and its effect on the right to free expression for legitimate artists
under the age of 21," he continued. The
decision marks the end of days of litigation concerning the lawsuit,
titled Vincenty v. Bloomberg, 06 CV 3158 (GBD). The suit, brought
by seven graffiti artists, was filed April 25 in the United States
District Court, Southern District of New York."As someone whose
career has been shaped by graffiti art and street design, I've increasingly
felt a responsibility to lend my support to these and other aspiring
artists whose rights to express themselves through the medium of
legal graffiti-inspired art were being suppressed in New York and
cities across the country," Ecko said. "The motif of graffiti
is one that has the right to exist credibly, and it is great to
see the courts make a distinction between illegal vandalism and
the motif of legal graffiti as a legitimate art form that cannot
be pushed aside by legislators."
Source
Founder Dave Mays Files For Bankruptcy Protection, Majority Stake
In Mag To Hit Auction Block - Fawn
Renee
The Source Magazine's founder and former
CEO Dave Mays has filed for bankruptcy protection, temporarily halting
an auction sale of his stock in the Hip-Hop publication. he auction
of his share was halted for a second time in light of Mays' declaration
of bankruptcy yesterday morning (May 4). Mays lost control of the
magazine after defaulting on an $18 million loan from Textron Financial.
In March, a judge ruled that Mays willingly signed contracts giving
Black Enterprise/Greenwich Street Partners the right to take control
if he defaulted on debt obligations. By
not fulfilling these obligations, Mays lost control of the company,
along with full ownership. Mays' 82 % stake is being sought after
by at least three suitors, including Marc Ecko, Earl "Butch"
Graves in conjunction with Black Enterprise, and Partnership Equity.
"We found out about the bankruptcy claim at the same time everyone
else did," Clint Cantwell, communications director for Ecko
Unlimited told AllHipHop.com. "But overall, The Source is a
great brand and certainly worth pursuing. I think it would be a
great blend with us having Complex Magazine under our belt. So,
we'll see how things work out at the auction, whenever the auction
actually takes place."
Mays' attorney David Finkler declined
to comment.
After Mays and his partner Ray "Benzino"
Scott were ousted, Black Enterprise appointed former editor Jeremy
Miller to the position of CEO of The Source. Miller said he and
his staff were anxious to see the court proceedings end. "I
hope the person who purchases [ The Source will keep the magazine
as is, because we're on the right track to progress and get the
magazine back to where it used to be," Miller told AllHipHop.com.
"I would hope we don't have to start over. Right now, guys
from Black Enterprise wouldn't have a problem if they owned the
full share of the company."
Chaka
Khan's son acquitted in murder trial
LOS
ANGELES (AP) -- Chaka Khan's son was acquitted of murder Friday
in the shooting death of a teenager during a party at her home two
years ago. A Superior Court jury deliberated two and a half days
before finding Damien Patrick Holland not guilty of murder, voluntary
manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.
Holland, 27, was charged with killing
Christopher Bailey, a 17-year-old aspiring rapper who was staying
at the home Holland shares with his mother, girlfriend and 5-year-old
daughter. Holland testified that he never intended to kill Bailey
when he poked at him with an M-16 assault rifle. The two were discussing
an affair the younger man claimed to have had with Holland's girlfriend
when Holland pointed the gun at his friend.Khan
testified last week that she believed her son accidentally killed
his friend. The singer said Bailey could have survived the shooting
had police permitted emergency medical workers to enter her home
sooner.
EMBER
OF T.I.'S CREW KILLED IN CINCINNATI: Gunfire erupts on the highway
following fight at afterparty.
*A
scuffle during an afterparty for T.I. led to gunfire on a Cincinnati
highway and a member of the rapper's crew being killed early Wednesday
morning in yet another shooting-related incident linked to a hip
hop artist.The incident occurred during an after-hours party at
Club Ritz, which is located near Bogart's nightclub, where T.I.
and rapper Yung Joc performed earlier in the evening. A dispute
with some local residents prompted T.I. and his group to exit the
party, but they were followed by two sport utility vehicles, police
said. The opposing parties fired upon each other while traveling
down the highway. Officers responding to the scene found four people
with gunshot wounds. T.I.'s personal assistant, 26-year-old Philant
Johnson, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Three other members of the entourage
were injured: a Minnesota woman was hospitalized in stable condition,
a bodyguard and a driver were treated and released. Following the
incident, police were forced to close down the southbound lanes
of Interstate 75 - one of two main highways providing access to
downtown Cincinnati - during the morning rush hour.
TIGER
WOODS' FATHER DIES OF CANCER: Earl Woods, 74, has battled the disease
since 1998.
*Earl Woods, the father of golf legend
Tiger Woods, died early Wednesday at his home in Cypress, California.
He was 74. "I'm very saddened to share the news of my father's
passing at home early this morning," his son, 30, said on his
official Web site. "My dad was my best friend and greatest
role model, and I will miss him deeply.
I'm overwhelmed when
I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life.
He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend.
I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue
his legacy of sharing and caring." Tiger spent the last week
with his father after returning from a trip to New Zealand, where
he attended the wedding of his caddie Steve Williams. In March,
he skipped the final practice day for the Players Championship at
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to spend time with him. A
former Green Beret, Earl Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer
in 1998. Radiation therapy had eradicated the disease until 2004,
when it returned and caused lesions on his back and a tumor behind
his left eye. After more radiation, he went into remission last
year before his condition again deteriorated.
Michelle
Rodriguez Chooses Jail Over Service
Honolulu, HI (AHN) - Lost star Michelle
Rodriguez surrendered to authorities Tuesday to begin a five-day
jail sentence for drunk driving. Rodriguez, who portrays police
officer Ana Lucia, opted for jail time and a $500 fine rather than
240 hours of community service. The 27-year-old Rodriguez and cast
member Cynthia Watros were both charged with drunk driving after
they were pulled over Dec. 1 in separate cars within 15 minutes
of each other, reports The Associated Press. On Tuesday, the judge
gave Rodriguez the option of jail time or community service. Choosing
jail over community service was a "personal choice," said
her attorney, Steve Barta. Watros, who plays Libby on the ABC castaway
drama, pleaded guilty to drunken driving in January and was fined
$312, ordered to undergo an alcohol assessment and 14 hours of counseling.
She also had her license suspended for 90 days. Both Rodriguez and
Watros were spotted weaving on a road in Kailua, on the island of
Oahu, where "Lost" is filmed. Both failed field sobriety
tests.
Babyface' Files
Suit Against Anita Baker
LOS
ANGELES -- Grammy-winning singer-producer Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against singer Anita
Baker, claiming she owes him more than $250,000. According
to the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Superior Court, Baker broke two
oral agreements with Edmonds, who co-wrote, produced and performed
on the song "Like You Used to Do" on Baker's 2004 album
"My Everything." The lawsuit claims Baker refused to pay
Edmonds producer's royalties equaling at least $100,000 from an
estimated more than 500,000 albums sold. Edmonds, 47, also alleges
that he and Baker had an agreement to play four concerts together,
but that Baker canceled two shows and refused to pay $150,000 for
those dates. Spokesman Cem Kurosman from Baker's label, Blue Note,
declined to comment Friday, saying the label had no knowledge of
the lawsuit.
June
Pointer dies of Cancer-- youngest sister of famed Pointer Sisters
June Pointer, the youngest original member
of the Grammy-winning group the Pointer Sisters, who started as
a gospel singers in Oakland and reached pop music stardom in the
1970s, died Tuesday. She was 52.
Ms. Pointer died at UCLA Medical Center
in Santa Monica from cancer that spread to her pancreas, liver and
lungs, said her brother Fritz Pointer. She had been admitted to
the hospital in February after suffering a stroke. She is the first
member of the musical group to die. With her sisters, Ruth, Anita
and Bonnie, the quartet topped pop and R&B charts through the
1970s with hits including "Yes We Can, Can" and "How
Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)." The group formed a
trio when Bonnie Pointer left to begin a solo career in 1977. In
school, she played basketball and ran track, displaying a natural
athleticism that transferred into energetic dance performances with
the Pointer Sisters.
At 15 years of age, June dropped out of
Castlemont High School in Oakland to form the duo "Pointers-A
Pair" with her sister Bonnie, performing in Bay Area clubs.
At about that time, she was raped in an East Oakland neighborhood,
became pregnant, and had an abortion, according to Fritz Pointer,
sparking what would become a lifelong struggle with drug addiction
for Ms. Pointer. With their first album, "The Pointer Sisters,"
released in 1973, the four sisters won fans with an upbeat style,
flashy costumes and eclectic sounds, drawing on soul, rock 'n' roll
and jazz roots.
In 1974, they won their first of three
Grammy awards, for the song "Fairytale," which was named
best country vocal performance by a group. "June started performing
at 16, and she brought a lot of energy to the group," Fritz
Pointer said. "She had an incredible sense of humor and an
ability to make people laugh. She loved life."
Proof of D12 murdered
Proof,
a member of the rap group D12 and a close friend of Eminem, was
killed in a shooting at a nightclub along Eight Mile Road early
Tuesday. He was shot after shooting
another patron, who later died also. The death of Proof - whose
real name is Deshaun Holton - was confirmed by Dennis Dennehy, the
publicist for D12's label, Interscope Records.Proof was the best
man at Eminem's wedding in January and often appeared alongside
the superstar rapper at concerts and public appearances. Proof also
appeared in the film "8 Mile."
uge
Knight Filing For Bankruptcy Protection
- Roman Wolfe
The
saga of Death Row Records continues as the label's founder Marion
"Suge" Knight is seeking bankruptcy protection for himself
and the pioneering record label. Knight's lawyer Laurence Strick
told the Associated Press that the mogul was filing bankruptcy protection
in an attempt to reorganize his financial affairs.
Death Row is also at the center of a legal
battle involving Knight, incarcerated drug dealer Michael "Harry-O"
Harris and his estranged wife Lydia Harris. Harry-O, who is serving
a 28-year sentence in San Quentin prison, claims he invested $1.5
million in the label through Knight's attorney David Kenner. In
March 2005, Knight was ordered to pay Mrs. Harris $107 million because
Knight failed to show up to numerous court proceedings to disclose
his assets. Knight recently missed another date this past Saturday
(April 1). "Mr. Knight doesn't have 107 million dollars,"
Strick said. "It remains to be seen what becomes of Death Row."
The label owns a catalog of multiplatinum
albums from Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur,
the best selling rapper of all time. A judge warned Knight that
if he missed Saturday's hearing to disclose his assets, the label
would be placed into receivership. According to Knight's attorney,
filing for bankruptcy protection temporarily prevents Knight from
losing ownership of the label. Harry-O filed for divorce from his
wife Lydia shortly after the judgment was issued and is seeking
half of the $107 million that was awarded his wife in March.
Black
Rob Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison - Nolan Strong
Rapper Black Rob was sentenced to seven
years in prison Thursday (March 30) after being convicted of grand
larceny for robbing a hotel room in 2004. The rapper pleaded guilty
to criminal possession of stolen property in November 2005, after
hotel security cameras caught him leaving a New York hotel with
a woman's pocketbook in November 2004. He was charged with stealing
over $6,000 in jewelry and $300 cash from the woman's room.
Black Rob, born Robert Ross, was charged
with burglary and criminal possession of stolen property and was
subsequently sentenced to serve two to six years in jail. He was
free on bail, but a fugitive warrant was issued for his arrest when
he failed to show up to serve his time as arranged. A fugitive warrant
was issued and the rapper was arrested in February 2006 in New Jersey.
Prosecutors gave Black Rob the maximum sentence because he failed
to turn himself in.
DRE
OF COOL & DRE RESPONDS TO MILIAN DEBACLE:
Dre of the production team Cool &
Dre has something to say about all those rumors surrounding his
relationship with Christina Milian, and reports that it damaged
her dealings with Def Jam so much that they dropped her from the
label. He addresses the drama in a verse on his remix to new song
"Chevy Ridin' High" with The Game, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled,
Pusha T from the Clipse, Rick Ross and Dirtbag.
"The New York Post wants to print
lies about Christina Milian getting dropped from a record company
and I had something to do with it," he told MTV.com. "I
had to address it. In a few days, there's gonna be a press release
that's gonna shock everyone. She's got some really good sh** going
on the music side and movie side." Dre continues: "This
guy from the Post knew Cool & Dre executive-produced the project
and produced most of the album. Then he found out that Christina
was dating me. He found his angle for the story. He printed some
sh** that said I had something to do with her getting dropped, which
is a complete lie."
RACE
AT THE ROOT OF STAR-ROSIE FEUD: During 2004 'View' visit,
O'Donnell said blacks backed O.J. because they have 'so few role
models.'
The bitterness between Star Jones Reynolds
and Rosie O'Donnell started way before their back-and-forth shenanigans
leading up to Star's recent dismissal from "The View."
According to New York Daily News contributor
Jawn Murray, their beef started cooking on May 12, 2004, when Rosie
appeared as a guest on "The View" and began making sweeping
generalizations about African Americans. As Murray notes in the
Daily News's Lowdown column, the segment started out fine, with
Rosie - who would later criticize Star for refusing to come clean
about her weight loss - telling the former co-host: "You look
fabulous! It's like 'Twinkle Twinkle Shrinking Star.'"
The first bump in the road came when
the conversation swung toward the felony conviction of Martha Stewart.
Rosie suggested that women everywhere should "stand up and
scream" about Stewart's treatment by the federal government.
Jones, a former prosecutor, vehemently objected.
Rosie: "Here's what I love. The black
community said you cannot have O.J. Simpson, you cannot have Jayson
"
Star: "No, excuse me!
And if the black people had a
vote, they did not tell me.
Rosie: "Honey! Honey, listen to what I'm saying.
The
black community said you can't have the basketball player Jayson
Williams, you can't have him.
Star: "There were two black people on the jury!"
Rosie: "Wait! Wait! Wait! I'm saying that as a culture, and
I agree with it, black people have so few role models that they
said, 'You know what? I don't care, you're not taking them!'"
Star: "What???!
When did the black vote have a meeting
and vote?
Rosie: "I didn't say you had a meeting, Star!"
The next day, Star was still upset over
Rosie's comments and said so on the air.
"Although the mainstream media may
not collectively report on black role models, trust and believe
there are plenty out there, and you don't need to rally behind O.J.
Simpson," Star said. "I mean, that was inappropriate."
According to Lowdown, Rosie was reportedly not happy with Star's
morning-after remarks, but Barbara Walters tried and failed to get
Star to apologize. Meanwhile, the search for Star's replacement
will officially start when the 10th season begins on Sept. 5. In
the meantime, a revolving door of guest hosts - including Shannen
Doherty (July 31 and Aug. 1), Kelly Monaco and "American Idol"
runner-up Katharine McPhee - will continue to fill the slot until
the season wraps on Aug. 4. ABC execs tell Variety that the rest
of the summer will focus solely on promoting O'Donnell's arrival
in the fall; trying out a bunch of folks to replace Star, execs
say, would rain on Rosie's parade. "It's about getting Rosie
in place and making her comfortable," an insider says.
Rapper
Gillie Da Kid Shot Three Times In Philadelphia - Nolan Strong
Philadelphia rapper Gillie Da Kid of Major
Figgas was shot in Philadelphia last week and is currently recouperating
from his wounds. Gillie was shot last Wednesday (June 14) as he
was attempting to enter his vehicle in a section of North Philadelphia.
The rapper was struck three times, twice in the arm and once in
the leg. The rapper was rushed to a local hospital where he was
treated for his wounds and released.
According to Philadelphia police, Gillie
Da Kid has been uncooperative with their investigations, and they
have no clue as to who was responsible for the attack. Gillie Da
Kid is a member of the Philadelphia based rap group Major Figgas,
who hit big with their single, "Yeah That's Us" which
rose to #3 on Billboard's Rap/Hip-Hop charts in 2000.
Koch
adding three new labels - David Greenwald,
L.A.
Port Washington, N.Y.-based Koch Entertainment
Distribution has announced exclusive, North American agreements
with three independent record labels. Koch will handle releases
from HBD Label Group, Worldwide Music, Inc. and Taxi Records.
The reggae-focused Taxi Records is owned
by Grammy-winners Sly & Robbie. The 30 year-old company has
previously issued albums through Island /Universal, and upcoming
Koch-distributed releases include Sly & Robbie's "Rhythm
Doubles" featuring Wyclef Jean, Bounty Killer and Beres Hammond,
as well as the tribute album "Greetings to Led Zeppelin + Queen."
The HBD Label Group, which boasts
its own overseas distribution network, encompasses urban and electronic
labels. Koch is the company's first distributor. Worldwide Music,
Inc. is a gospel label founded alongside Gospel Truth Magazine by
Kerry Douglas. The company's releases were previously handled by
Navarre.
 
Nelly
and the St. Lunatics Open New Restaurant in August
By Chris Richburg
St. Louis rapper Nelly and his St. Lunatics
crew will open a new bar and grill in August in Hazelwood. The new
restaurant, called Mack's Bar and Grill, was originally slated for
an April opening but was pushed back because the rappers were waiting
for Mack's manager, Tony Powell, to finish his work as a chef and
manager at Azio, an Italian restaurant in Atlanta. As a result of
the delay, the Hazelwood City Council is expected to extend a special
land-use permit for Mack's next month, according to city officials.
The restaurant, which takes its name from the first letters of the
owners' names - Murphy Lee, Ali, Slodown, Kyjuan and Cornell, Nelly's
first name, is now scheduled to open August 10 at 6827 Howdershell
Road. Powell is confident Macks's will become a staple in Hazelwood's
food community.
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