Langfield Entertainment
 424 Yonge Street, Suite 301, Toronto, ON  M5B 2H3
(416) 677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com

NEWSLETTER

Updated:  August 26, 2004

Another long weekend is upon us – signs of Fall in the store windows.  Is summer really in the past? Please make your reservations soon at IRIE for the week of the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 9-15).  Never know who you might bump into!  Please read my blurb on writing press releases – I’m always amazed at how much this needs to be improved by artists and/or their team when sending news, invites or updates.  Langfield Entertainment is moving!  Just my street address though folks, nothing major to most people.  As of October 1st, please amend your records as my street address will 40 Asquith, #207, Toronto, ON  M4W 1J6.

Perdita Felicien – what can you say about the graciousness of this athlete?  Clearly, Perdita and the country is disappointed but I feel that she represented Canada with such elegance in her turmoil as she might have had she won the gold medal.  She is more of a role model now than she perhaps could have been.  Don’t forget to support all our Canadian Olympians!  Tune into Daniel Igali’s match which will be tomorrow, Friday, August 27th. 

Lots of MUSIC NEWS, FILM NEWS, THEATRE NEWS, TV NEWS and OTHER NEWS!  Have a read and a scroll!

 This newsletter is designed to give you some updated entertainment-related news and provide you with our upcoming event listings.   Welcome to those who are new members.  Want your events listed by date?  Check out EVENTS. 

 

 

::HOT EVENTS::

 

 

Irie Update

As the cool vibe of Irie continues, Carl Cassell (proprietor) has got more in store for us!  Carl will be enlisting the culinary expertise of Greg Couillard as his guest celebrity chef the week of the Toronto International Film Festival beginning September 9-15.

Chef Couillard - widely known as one of Canada's premiere executive chefs - returns to his Queen Street West roots and reinstates his comeback at Irie - a unique privilege that most reputable restaurants would be thrilled to experience.  But he chose our IRIE - mostly because of his respect and ongoing relationship with Carl!  See below for more information on Chef Couillard's background. 

The menu at Irie will continue to consist of Caribbean fusion, with the spicy influences of Chef Couillard.  Carl will have his special guest grilling on the newly expanded patio for the entire week.  Book your reservations now as this master chef has his own following of loyal patrons that will be thrilled to know he is back behind the grill.

Chef Couillard has worked in some of Toronto's most prestigious and highly rated restaurants in Toronto (including Sassafraz, Amber, Sarkis, to name a few) for more that three decades.   And as always, until then, the high standard of Irie continues ...

 

 

 

::ADVICE::

 

 

The Importance of Press Releases

I feel that I must address this.  I would be happy to include more updates on Canadian artists if I would receive better press releases - rather than the disjointed or "hip" version of many emails I receive.  Just so that everyone knows, I cannot use an email that has lots of slang in it or email shortcut codes in it.  In fact, those are extremely frustrating to read and I usually end up deleting them as I do not have the time to decipher the contents.  It is very important as an artist or artist management to have someone on board that can write press releases about ongoing developments.  This is the preferred format for many industry people so that they can quickly refer to it and get the who, what, wheres and whens - which is surprisingly missing from a lot of emails.  It's amazing to me how hard I have to hunt for Canadian artist updates that I can actually use.  Having your emails and notices look professional is yet another thing that can separate you from the pack.  No doubt some of you like the more informal type of correspondence but my humble suggestion would be to save those emails for those that are on your own distribution lists - those that have already expressed an interest in your happenings.   Please keep in mind too, that I do write press releases for a fee that is in line with what the press release is to be used for.  (Just in case any of you want to have a resource in this area.)  If your notices are about an upcoming EVENT, I have a minimal fee structure for those as well.   

 

 

 

::THOUGHT::

 

 

Motivational Note:  Every Day Is An Opportunity

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Willie Jolley

We must see every day as an opportunity that demands that we give our all, do our best. We must see success not only as a destination, but also a journey that is constantly filled with adventure and challenges. If we are willing to meet those challenges, then we can live life to the fullest. Friends, every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up and know that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed and eaten. Also every morning in Africa and lion wakes up and knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up you'd better be running!

 

 

 

::MUSIC NEWS::

 

 

Glenn Lewis Signs to Sanctuary

Source:  Glenn Lewis Fanclub

Glenn Lewis signed to Sanctuary Urban Records, which is owned by Mathew Knowles, through his management's new label deal, Rockstar Records.  It's a joint venture between Sanctuary Urban Records, Glenn's management and Dre & Vidal (Glenn's producers).  Because of the label switch from Sony Records, Glenn Lewis' first single will be released in October and it will be called "ABC".  Glenn’s second album is expected to be released in February of 2005.

 

 

 

Toronto Goes Ga Ga for Canadian Idol

Source:  CTV Inc.

(Aug. 24, 2004) - Toronto went mad on the midway yesterday as 7,000 screaming Canadian Idol fans filled the CNE's Bandshell Park to overflowing for a free concert by Canadian Idol's five remaining finalists. It was the biggest live audience ever for a Canadian Idol performance and the largest expected this year at the Canadian National Exhibition, organizers said. Many fans had lined up for seven hours waiting for the concert to begin. Thousands again lined up following the show to meet their Idols at a post-concert autograph session.   Taped on a perfect summer's afternoon, portions from the concert will air during this week's "Summertime Hits" episodes of Canadian Idol, airing live Wednesday, August 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Thursday, August 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.  

In tomorrow's "Summertime Hits" performance episode, competitors will sing music inspired by summer - songs that are summer-themed, evoke "summertime feelings" or were chart hits during the summer. The songbook includes The Doobie Brother's "Long Train Runnin'," Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'," Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Franki Valli and The Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and Robert Palmer's "Bad Case of Loving You."   On Thursday's results episode, 2003 runner-up Gary Beals returns to the Canadian Idol stage for the first time since last year's finale to perform his new single "Summertime Nights."  As well, the Top Five will salute summer with two group numbers: a Beach Boys medley and another medley featuring the music of Katrina and the Waves, The Lovin' Spoonful and Cream.   The most-watched show in Canada, Canadian Idol continues to be TV's hit summertime series. Last week's tribute to Gordon Lightfoot resulted in the most-watched performance and results episodes so far this season. As well, the three million total votes cast last Wednesday night fell just shy of the record 3.3 million recorded for last season's final episode.   Tickets to Canadian Idol's live performance and results shows - what the Toronto Star calls "the most popular stage show in Toronto" - are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca or by telephone (check local listings). Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. on the Monday prior to the next week's shows and sell out in minutes. Rush tickets are also available to the most enthusiastic fans showing up at the John Bassett Theatre two hours before show time. Rush seats are limited and are not guaranteed.  Visit the Canadian Idol Web site at www.idol.ctv.ca.

 

 

 

He Screams, She Screams, They All Scream For Idol

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Robert Everett-Green

We were still 15 minutes from show time, and already people were screaming. They screamed to prove that they were there, in the John Bassett Theatre and not in the crowd still waiting on the sidewalk. They screamed at each other's hand-made placards, and at their own faces, as these flashed on screens around the theatre. Screaming, it turns out, is the best way to express yourself at a taping of Canadian Idol, unless you're one of the contestants. Oh yes, and they screamed at Gordon Lightfoot, as the legendary composer and performer took his seat, across the aisle from Ronnie Hawkins, before Wednesday's tribute edition of the show. Lightfoot must have thought he had walked into a parallel universe. The crowds at his annual Massey Hall concerts are enthusiastic, but they tend to focus their effusions on the performers and the music. At Idol, even the commercial breaks are greeted by more screaming. Entering this scene as an "embedded" music critic was like walking sober into a party that's been rolling hard for three hours. But no party is as heavily structured as Canadian Idol. Everything about this talent show is a ritual, from the off-camera screaming tutorials ("Let's hear a little more love for Jacob"), the sometimes cutting responses of the judges ("that was b-b-b-boring"), to the brief contestant sit-downs with Ben Mulroney as the host reads out the number to dial to vote for that last performance. Idol combines the rigid format of a game show, the glacial narrative tension of a soap opera, and (if you're in the theatre) the push-button frenzy of a cheerleader's convention. It's an addictive formula for the roughly two million Canadians who tune in twice a week. Lightfoot's appearance marked the first time the show had shone its lights on someone who had actually made it in the Canadian music business. Unlike the six remaining contestants, Lightfoot slogged his way to the top over a period of years. He became a star before there were any Cancon rules for radio, before you could get a grant to make a record, and before an Englishman named Simon Fuller (the father of some 25 Idol franchises) figured out a new way to speed up the production of celebrity.

Having done it the hard way, Lightfoot might have been expected to disdain Fuller's battery-hen methods. Au contraire: Lightfoot consented to appear at the show, and even to act as a coach. Each of the six contestants worked over his or her selected Lightfoot tune with the man himself. Video clips before each live performance featured his edited responses to what he heard in rehearsal. "I should be a judge, for God's sake," he said at one point. That was just after telling Shane Wiebe that all the laid-back contestant needed to fix up his interpretation of The Way I Feel was to "go and rest up a bit." We didn't find out what Lightfoot thought of the broadcast performances. He stayed in his seat, and let the judges and screamers hash it out. The criteria must have seemed alien at times. Lightfoot made it on the strength of his songs, but also because he developed a way to sing them that was unmistakably his own. Kalan Porter, by contrast, got a big response from judges and audience for singing If You Could Read My Mind pretty much as the composer recorded it, with a tone that wasn't far from Lightfoot's in his prime. Jacob Hoggard was even congratulated for mimicking someone else's cover version. Judge Jake Gold noted that Hoggard had copied an interpretation of Sundown that appeared on a recent Lightfoot tribute disc, "and you nailed it." These are the standards of the karaoke bar. Maybe that's not so strange, since all the Idol contestants sing well-known songs to pre-recorded accompaniments. (Last night's show was the first to feature actual instruments, played live by the hopefuls themselves.) "The real Canadian Idol will be able to sing anything that's thrown at them," Gold said earlier. Again, should that be true? Even Sinatra fumbled sometimes (if you doubt, check out his version of Mrs. Robinson). The great pop interpreters have always been choosy about repertoire. Being able to get through anything at all is a skill prized mainly by singers in cocktail bars, because you never know when a customer is going to want to hear Mack the Knife. But Canadian Idol is only as confused about the true value of distinction as the rest of the culture. A current ad for Wal-Mart shows a dozen or more young people asserting their need to express their individuality, before zeroing in on the one brand of jeans they've all got to buy to do it. Be yourself, conform!  The real Canadian Idol will be the one who makes this command seem least like a contradiction. How far this all is from the craggy individualism of a Gordon Lightfoot. Granted, he didn't always stand out. He began as a Pat Boone-style crooner, and was a regular ensemble performer on CBC-TV's Country Hoedown in the fifties and early sixties. The producers of that show weren't paying him to blaze his own trail -- but they helped him get started. Eventually, all this Idol-ness may have a similar outcome. Somebody will play by the rules of same-but-different and get through, and then begin to work themselves up to something that only they can do well. Or maybe Lionel Richie had it right, when he opined during his guest spot last week that instant celebrity may be the worst kind of prelude to the development of an individual voice. It hasn't yet helped last year's winner, Ryan Malcolm, or runner-up Gary Beals, whose blandly competent debut album was released this week. In the meantime, you've got to wonder who will follow Lightfoot next year, if the show's producers decide to make an annual ritual of tribute to some established Canadian star. Joni Mitchell? Sarah McLachlan? Leonard Cohen? Maybe there should be a special voting number. Or maybe we should all just scream.

 

 

 

Sarah Can Still Pull The Heartstrings

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Alan Niester

(Aug. 21, 2004) When Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan took to the stage at the Molson Amphitheatre for the first of a two-night stand Thursday night, she was surrounded by a set that looked like something straight out of a Stratford performance of Shakespeare's beloved comedy. Lush artificial turf soothed her feet, huge tree trunks commanded the centre of the stage, while bewitching branches framed the tableau. Large backing video screens occasionally added a starry-night backdrop. One almost expected the likes of Puck, Bottom and Quince to wander out to play the instrumental backing, instead of the usual Pierre Marchand, Sean Ashley, Bill Dillon et al. It was a perfect setting for McLachlan, who got to play out two hours worth of her "depressing love songs" there, a fetching musical pixie lost in a sylvan glade. It has been about five years since the enormously popular 36-year-old last performed a concert tour, and even that was as one of the pieces in the influential Lilith Fair that she helped put together in the latter half of the nineties. Since then, she has married (her drummer, Ashwin Sood), given birth to daughter India, and returned to recording with the double-platinum Afterglow release. That she is able to play a string of hockey arenas and huge outdoor venues so long after her last tour is obviously testament to her enduring popularity. Dressed demurely in a diaphanous light black cotton number with olive-green jeans underneath (all very woodland nymph-like), she began the night with Fallen, the best-known song from the Afterglow release. An aching, heartfelt ballad padded out by a surprisingly robust rock-'n'-roll chamber-music backing, it typified McLachlan's catalogue (hence a good portion of the songs in the evening's set list), an emotion-laden lyric sung in an impossible mix of warmth and anguish. She followed with World on Fire, another new number, this time accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. McLachlan would spend the rest of the evening bouncing between piano and acoustic and electric guitars, and occasionally standing centre-stage with just a microphone. After remarking on the three consecutive summers she spent at this venue doing Lilith, she noted that, "for once in my career, I have more than enough material to chose from, so I just chose a bunch of my favourites." That justified a whack of past hits, starting immediately thereafter with a slightly funked-up Adia, and going on to include such crowd-pleasers as Sweet Surrender, Building a Mystery, Possession and I Will Remember You. She chatted easily and amiably with her nearly sold-out audience, which added to the warm ambiance. Before the new number Push, she noted that it was written for her husband. "It's a love song," she noted. "I finally managed to write a happy one. It only took me 15 years." Given the occasional fragility of some of McLachlan's songs, her backing band (six pieces plus a backing singer) was remarkably strong and slick, aggressive without being overpowering. But perhaps the finest moment of the evening came during a McLachlan solo. On Angel, she accompanied herself on piano, wrung every possible ounce of emotion from the number, and received her first standing ovation of the night. Here, she proved once and for all that the time she has spent away from the stage has not diminished her vocal range or talents. If anything, her voice has grown richer with age.

The evening was opened by Australian newcomer Butterfly Boucher. (Because she's Australian, that's pronounced Boucher like voucher, not like touchez.) Boucher showed some promise. Songs such as the compelling Another White Dash (presumably a road song in the truest sense), with Boucher strumming madly at an electric guitar while a bassist and drummer thudded along behind her, showed her off as a kind of female, Aussie White Stripes. But her set was marred by a rather constant and disquieting attempt to shill her new Flutterby release, which she reminded us on at least three or four occasions was available at the merchandise stand. She even challenged the Toronto audience to beat the 500-something total she'd moved in Montreal the other night, ultimately giving her set more the feel of a telethon than an opening rock set. Sarah McLachlan performs in Edmonton Sept. 7, Calgary Sept. 8 and Vancouver Sept. 10.

 

 

 

Markham Jazz Sizzles Under Summer Sun

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Geoff Chapman, Special To The Star

(Aug. 23, 2004) The sun shone brightly but the music sparkled even more delightfully as the seventh annual Markham Jazz Festival treated its outdoor fans to terrific jazz on Saturday, the first of two afternoons in the splendid (and free) setting of Toogood Pond Park.  After the spectacular success of the event's sole ticketed show at the Markham Theatre on Friday by pianist Monty Alexander's trio, the nine bands recruited to perform Saturday and Sunday in the park area near Unionville's gentrified main street took full advantage of glorious weather and a covered performing space in the area's natural amphitheatre as thousands dotted surrounding slopes and crammed front-of-stage benches.  After vocalist Alex Pangman and her Alleycats delivered a swinging set, percussionist Brian Barlow fielded his new band — Barlow Brass and Drums, whose approach is somewhat different from his times in the Boss Brass.  The sonorous combo features trumpeters Brian O'Kane and Chase Sanborn, trombonists Russ Little and Terry Promane, Barlow's drums and Doug Burrell's tuba. It's a unit tailor-made for whomping drive, yet its bucolic and brazen soloists can also hold a melodic line as well as detonate explosive solos.  This was the case with the pulsating demands of the Joe Zawinul classic "Birdland," with Little bubbling and Burrell delivering as much musical `bottom' as anyone could desire. The group repertoire is interesting for what could be a contemporary New Orleans marching band that's decided to play in the same spot, since it then tackled early rock classic "High Heel Sneakers" with heady abandon.  The band's "Sing Sing Sing" made it sound like the Benny Goodman orchestra in full cry, with the garrulous Little and Barlow charging through chorus swaps and Sanborn sneaking in piccolo trumpet to deliver the famed Goodman solo on this durable number and Barlow thrashing the drum kit in emulation of Gene Krupa.  The multi-skilled sextet then squeezed in the "Hockey Night In Canada" theme and though outnumbered by the Shuffle Demons record-breaking 900-plus saxes who tooted it earlier this year, their bombast was appreciated. The group will be back for next year's festival, vowed artistic director Hal Hill, whose 2004 line-up was exceptional. (Yesterday Don Thompson and Renée Rosnes duelled on piano, vocalist Heather Bambrick sang, the duo of pianist Benny Green and Russell Malone elegantly entertained and the 17 singers and six instrumentalists of the Heart To Heart Outreach Gospel Group lifted spirits to close the show.)  Trumpeter Nick Ali's session with his bands Cruzao and Marron Marizado started 15 minutes late but soon enough had the first dancers of the afternoon prancing in front of the stage with a series of Latin hits that began with "Puerto Rico" and punched its way through lesser-known Dominican salsa and the original "Color De Unidad" to climax in the major-league frenzy of "Lamalanga" where everyone in the group had his moment in the spotlight.  Percussionists Alberto Suarez, Luisito Orbegoso and Chendy Leon established teeming polyrhythms early, in a musical roller coaster ride fuelled by bass Paco Luviano, but a genuine jazz-firster was on stage, too — admirable Cuban-born pianist Hilario Duran. His flourishes and drag-racing speed runs were a highlight amid the torrid blowing of the leader and brother Marcus on alto sax and additional front line vocals and hand percussion from Ricky Franco, Victor Paz and Alex Naar.

This breathless party atmosphere should really have closed the afternoon, but there was a warm welcome for Don Thompson's stellar quartet, the leader choosing vibes from his instrumental armoury to joust with seasoned colleagues in guitarist David Occhipinti, bass Pat Collins and drummer Terry Clarke.  This set featured endless intriguing interplay, churning harmonic foundations, improvising vigour matched by imagination and Thompson tunes that covered a jazz waterfront from the thrusting blues "Bird Bath" to vehicles for lyrical expressiveness ("Sunday Morning," "Waltz In Three-Quarter Time"), Brazilian bossa ("Elis," a tribute to Thompson's favourite South American songbird) to the sombre "For Scott Lafaro" (a great jazz bassist who died too young"). A rollicking "Bag's Groove" capped the set.  This was superior jazz that had biting exchanges between mallets and drums, excellent comping, cascading solo ideas, urgent responses, a roiling pulse and enviable group empathy, the latter helped by the fact that Thompson and Clarke have played together frequently for 42 years.  Montrealer Jean Beaudet closed proceedings with a set crammed with striking musical concoctions, drawing often on his superb new CD, Les Danseurs (Elephant Records). He is an intense player who offers unswerving focus, dizzying elaborations, carefully controlled crescendos and a way of keeping impetus and conviction together in the same phrase.  All of these skills were on display for the opening "Les Bourgeons" where his hard-hammered runs over the swish of drummer Hugo Divito's cymbals and able and agile bassist Marc Lalonde's big tones thrilled onlookers. He shows commanding confidence, playing with buoyancy and an ear for framing the right sonic shape, and his versatility was subsequently well demonstrated on the disc's title track.  His flair for marrying expressive emotions to intelligent interpretation was front and centre, too, on the animated "Too Many Penguins," where surprising accents, jolting shifts into high gear, steely percussive comping and skittering bursts of colour and rhythmic change-ups were on display. All this visceral, in-the-moment inspiration was more proof that Beaudet is playing the best jazz of his three-decade career.

 

 

 

Bebel Gilberto:  Hot Music Is In Her Blood

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Simona Rabinovitch

(Aug. 19, 2004) MONTREAL -- Few musicians are eager to publicly divulge the tough realities implicit in their lifestyle; perhaps reluctant to shatter some manufactured illusion of success. Thank God for exceptions. "Everything is wrong, honey, come here and save me," sighs Brazilian singer-songwriter Bebel Gilberto into the phone. "Today I'm pissed off with everyone . . . but it's okay." Speaking from her Atlanta, Ga., hotel room at the start of a North American tour to support her self-titled sophomore album, the 38-year-old fireball manages to project honesty and warmth while venting her frustrations. She also exudes a comedic melodrama worthy of her show-business pedigree; her father, musician Joao Gilberto, is regarded as the godfather of bossa nova, often referred to as the Elvis of Brazil, while her stepmother is the popular singer known as Miucha. (Bebel's recording debut was at the age of seven on one of Miucha's albums, and at the age of nine she performed with her mother at New York's Carnegie Hall.) Today, though, Bebel Gilberto owns a unique musical identity all her own. Her solo debut, 2000's Tanto Tempo (followed by a re-mix album issued the following year), combined traditional bossa nova grooves with modern influences inspired by the electronic dance music she had been exploring through collaborations with David Byrne, Deee-Lites DJ/producer Towa Tei and Washington down-tempo duo Thievery Corporation, among other artists. Tanto Tempo was nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards, and critics credited her with effortlessly adapting an old genre to the ears of a new audience. However, with success comes the burden of public expectation to recreate that certain magic in her follow up. And what, exactly, is this indefinable magic? Is it, perhaps, one of those hot South-American-music-in-their-blood thing? Perhaps, Gilberto concurs. "I think the music I'm doing today is different than what's going on there. What's going on in Brazil now is a different story; different influences, different vibes. But I must say of my success that I came up at a time in general that Brazil has been very popular."

Indeed. But whatever its source, Gilberto's new album recreates the bossa nova-influenced magic of its predecessor while also showcasing her growth as a songwriter. She wrote nine of its 12 songs, with lyrics in both English and Portuguese, and recorded in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and London, with producer Marius de Vries, who has worked with Madonna, Bjork and Annie Lennox. (Her mother sings backup vocals on the melancholy Aganju, while the upbeat Baby was written by Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso, with whom Gilberto has previously collaborated.) As a performer, Gilberto also feels the heat to do well, especially in her adopted hometown of New York, where she was born and has lived for the past 14 years, after growing up in Rio and spending time in London. ("I'm a New Yorker, honey," she drawls.) "I'm tense for the New York City show," she exhales. "We're opening at [popular venue] Joe's Pub and there's a lot of expectation. Is she gonna do it right? Is she gonna be as good as before? Hopefully I will. It's my career, it's my name up there. I wonder how Madonna lives. It must be such a pressure, such hell." Indeed, touring can be tough even on pros, especially if said pro is also a perfectionist and self-proclaimed control freak, and even more so while she's touring with a six-piece band, many of whose talented members she is working with for the first time. For all these reasons, "this tour is more hectic than I was expecting," she admits. "But a tour is always a question mark. Being on the road is always surprises. Like, this cool promoter wants to take you to some great restaurant and when you get there, there's 20 people wanting to talk to you when you don't even know who they are. Also, honey, it can be so difficult to maintain a good mood. Me, I'm very temperamental. So I concentrate most on sleeping. You gotta sleep. If you don't sleep, you don't work." As if on cue, a cellphone rings with the urgency of a gassy baby, alerting Gilberto to today's crisis. She apologizes ("I'm so sorry, honey"), and quickly takes the call, calmly issuing what must be orders in rapid-fire Portuguese. Even under stress, her thick accent sounds like music. And like her music, her speaking voice is lovely; breathy and husky, softened with the dropping of honey after every other sentence. The words' melodic intonation and nurturing implication smooth honesty's rough edges like a cowbell on a kick drum. Crisis averted, at least for now, Gilberto returns to the interview, all rugged grace and heartfelt apologies. Clearly, even this no-nonsense Brazilian chick has a vulnerable side. "I'm so sorry, honey, I was trying to do two things at the same time. Now I can concentrate on you."  But our time is up and the interview is over; a serendipitous illustration of life on the road.

Bebel Gilberto performs at Montreal's Spectrum tonight and Toronto's Carlu tomorrow. She plays Vancouver's Centre for the Performing Arts on Sept. 5.

 

 

 

Make Music Buying More Fun: Davis

Source:  Associated Press

(August 23, 2004) San Diego — Legendary music mogul Clive Davis has some advice for music retailers looking to persuade music fans to return to traditional record shops: Make shopping more fun. “You are faced with a major threat ... competition from digital distribution,” Mr. Davis warned hundreds of merchants and recording industry executives who gathered Sunday for a conference. The renowned chairman and chief executive officer of BMG North America compared the choice between buying music on-line or in a store to eating dinner at a restaurant or at home. “It's fun to shop for music ... and you're not making it a fun experience,” he said. “You have got to make it exciting.” Mr. Davis urged music merchants to follow the lead of Tower Records and Virgin Megastore, which redesigned stores and hired workers well-versed in music to help introduce customers to new material. The four-day gathering of music merchants comes at a turning point in the retail music business. Retailers, heavily dependent on physical music formats like CDs and audio cassettes, have been particularly hard-hit by an industry downturn that began in 2000. Even though U.S. music sales are up 9 per cent so far this year, retailers are struggling to hold their ground in a market where digital sales are growing. Mr. Davis, who launched the careers of Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston and others superstars, didn't address whether retailers should offer computer downloads or customized CD burning inside their stores. But finding ways to generate sales from the on-line music boom is now at the top of the list for retailers, from large chains such as Best Buy Co. Inc. and Tower to regional and independent mom-and-pop merchants. Several firms were scheduled to pitch their own in-store technology offerings during the conference. Among them is a new hybrid CD-DVD format known as Dualdisc that features standard CD audio on one side and DVD-compatible material on the other. The technology is receiving a push by the four major recording companies. Also being promoted are in-store computer kiosks that can crank out custom CDs and sell downloads. “We have to make sure CD burning becomes a commercially viable option for all of us,” said Glen Ward, president and chief executive officer of Virgin Megastore. On-line sales of digital tracks remains a small part of overall music sales. However, in February, the number of song downloads sold in a week exceeded 2 million for the first time, said Jim Donio, acting president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, which organized the conference. He said “seismic shifts in music consumption” are being caused by the popularity of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod digital player, its on-line music store and other Internet retailers such as Napster 2.0, Rhapsody and MusicNow.

Still, the most common music format is still the CD, and it's likely to remain that way for the next few years, Mr. Donio said. Looking ahead, he warned that companies across the music industry are still operating on tight margins and merchants remain vulnerable to changing consumer preferences. When it comes to the popularity of artists, he provided a largely positive outlook, citing the pickup in sales and the high-flying success of Norah Jones and Usher, whose albums sold more than a million copies in the first week of release — the first time that's happened since 2000. “Upcoming releases for Eminem and Faith Hill, among many others, could keep the party going for the rest of the year and well into 2005,” he said.

 

 

 

The Re-Installation Of Lauryn Hill

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 23, 2004) *It took a minute, but Lauryn Hill is finally back. The former Fugee, who took a sanity break following her 1998 groundbreaking Grammy-winning album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” is scheduled to make her first public performances since 2002’s “MTV Unplugged” taping as part of the Kool Nu Jazz Festival – a series of concerts that will travel to four cities this fall.  Hill assembled a band for the tour and will perform new material during headlining stops in Chicago and Atlanta, reports RollingStone.com. Other performers include Erykah Badu, the Roots, Jill Scott, Twista, Ruben Studdard, George Clinton and OutKast's Big Boi.  The Kool Nu Jazz Festival, sponsored by Kool cigarettes, will also roll through Philadelphia and Detroit, pairing high-profile hip-hop and R&B artists for co-headlining shows in small venues.  Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Shows are priced at $35 (though tickets for performances at Atlanta's Earthlink Live are $25).

 

 

 

R. Kelly, Jay-Z Teaming For Tour

Excerpt from www.billboard.com - Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

(Aug. 19, 2004) R&B/hip-hop superstars R. Kelly and Jay-Z will team for a North American tour this fall, kicking off Sept. 30 in Chicago. The full routing has yet to be announced for the Best of Both Worlds trek, which is expected to play 40 cities before wrapping Nov. 28 in Phoenix.  "We really don't want to give away too much of the show, because we want people to really be genuinely in shock and awe," Jay-Z says. "We're doing a 'shock and awe' campaign."  "We want to reach the people that feel our music and that feel us and that love us, because we get on stage and return their love," he continues. "And that's what we love to do -- we're performers. We love to perform our music in front of live audiences.   "You never know what may happen out there on the stage with me and Jay, because [we're] spontaneous," Kelly adds. "We may say anything out there on the stage."  The two artists previously joined forces for the 2002 album "Best of Both Worlds," but axed plans for a tour after Kelly's arrest on multiple child pornography charges. The case is still pending.  Kelly's legal woes have not deterred his musical career. A double album, "Happy People/U Saved Me," will be released Tuesday (Aug. 24) via Jive. The single "Happy People" peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart earlier this summer; a new track, "If," is at U.S. radio outlets now.  The artist recently conquered Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Awards by taking home seven trophies, including top R&B/hip-hop songwriter and producer.

 

 

 

EW&F Ink New Record Deal With Mathew Knowles’ Sanctuary Urban Records Group

Source: Kymberlee Norsworthy / Sanctuary Urban Records Group / 212 599 2757 ext. 104 / Kymberlee.Norsworthy@sanctuarygroup.com

(Aug. 19, 2004) New York, NY— Music Industry legends Earth, Wind & Fire and Mathew Knowles have announced the signing of an exclusive album deal with Knowles’ Sanctuary Urban Records Group (SURG).  Earth, Wind & Fire’s accomplishments are unprecedented over their 33 year history. Their musical influence has changed the course of music and has become the soundtrack of the last three decades. Winning both critical and commercial acclaim, the group has sold over 30 million albums in the U.S. alone, including eight double platinum albums, two platinum albums and three gold albums.  Earth, Wind & Fire have had a string of #1 albums and singles in multiple genre formats including, a #1 Pop and eight Top 10 Pop Albums, five # 1 R&B albums and eight # 1 R&B singles. With a trophy case to match these chart and sales figures, Earth, Wind & Fire’s honours and awards are impressive. They include six Grammy Awards; four American Music Awards; honours from the NAACP and BET; 2000 induction into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and more.  Their new album is slated for release October 5, 2004. The album features production by Grammy-Award winning production team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and recent Grammy-Award winner Raphael Saadiq. Saadiq also lends his smooth vocals to the album, in addition to guest appearances from critically acclaimed artists Floetry and Musiq.  “Earth, Wind & Fire has provided the soundtrack to the lives of many generations, and their musical brilliance has inspired legions of contemporary artists. For SURG to play a part in continuing the legacy of one of the best bands of all times is enormous,” says Mathew Knowles, SURG CEO.  Founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White, “We are thrilled at this milestone in the life of Earth, Wind & Fire.”

“Mathew Knowles’ tireless enthusiasm matches the spirit and elements that we have built with Earth, Wind & Fire. We look forward to working with the Sanctuary Urban team,” said co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, Verdine White.  Co-Founder Philip Bailey, “The Earth, Wind & Fire’s journey has always been one of great music and spirit, Matthew and his team at the Sanctuary Group embody those same qualities.”  Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson, “Earth, Wind & Fire’s focus has always been about making great music. Matthew Knowles’ successes have been based on great music. We look forward to collaborating on this album with Matthew and the Sanctuary Urban team.”

 

 

 

Mathew Knowles - President, Music World Entertainment/ Sanctuary Urban Holding Company

Excerpt from www.sanctuarygroup.com

Since Music World Music’s merger with Sanctuary Entertainment Group, Mathew Knowles has successfully added one more dimension to an already multi-faceted musical persona. No single family-based management and recording company has so furiously impacted the music industry in the manner that his has. The pages in the history of Music World Music reflects the achievements of an organization started out of love and necessity and punctuated with risk, opportunity and integrity. These efforts and successes, in large part, are a direct result of Mathew Knowles’ effective and strategic management complimented by his savvy business finesse and captivating vision.   Mathew Knowles discovered his passion for music as a teenager growing up in the small town of Gadsden, Alabama, and first put that passion to work while attending college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Fisk University. Because of his excellent communication skills, Knowles began his professional career as a sales and marketing representative for Xerox Corporation in Houston, Texas. He quickly built such a strong record of success in sales that he routinely ranked one of the top corporate salesmen. This track record of achievement would be a benchmark for a future marked by triumph over destiny.   Hearing his daughter, Beyoncé Knowles, perform John Lennon's "Imagine" at a youth talent competition, Knowles began laying the groundwork for his daughter's career; incorporating the skills he developed and mastered during his 20-year stint in sales and marketing with his burgeoning knowledge of the music industry. He embarked on the path of artist management with bulldog tenacity, never losing sight of the success he knew would come.  

He is perhaps best known for his role as manager for DESTINY’S CHILD one of the most successful "girl groups" in the history of pop music, selling over 33 million records worldwide. “I think successful people will have success at whatever they do," says Knowles. "They love what they do and they do it with a passion; they work smart and hard and they'll go that extra mile to achieve their goals." With a total of 22 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications to date, it’s all too easy to see how Mathew Knowles’ vision for the success of the group was well founded.  In addition to managing Destiny's Child, Knowles also guides the careers of the Swedish girl group PLAY, his youngest daughter, Solange, Gospel trio Trinetee 5:7, and the solo careers of Destiny's Child members Beyoncé, Michelle Williams, and Kelly Rowland.  His Music World Music label has released the Destiny's Child's platinum album, "8 Days of Christmas," the soundtrack for MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera" (which starred Beyoncé, Mekhei Phifer and Mos Def), Destiny's Child's "This Is The Remix," "Heart to Yours," the inspirational solo debut by Michelle Williams, "Solo Star" by Solange, Kelly Rowland's debut solo album, "Simply Deep," and the first two volumes of the acclaimed "Spirit Rising" gospel compilation series.   As executive producer on every Destiny's Child album and single release to-date, Mr. Knowles has overseen nine #1 singles and overall worldwide sales of more than 40 million records for the group.   Knowles' Music World Music shepherded "Dangerously In Love," the #1 best-selling debut solo album from Beyoncé which earned a record 5 Grammys, as well as the soundtrack to the movie, "The Fighting Temptations" a Paramount/MTV film starring Beyoncé and Cuba Gooding, Jr. which spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Gospel charts, as well as the debut solo album from the Detroit gospel quartet Ramiyah. He looks forward to the 2005 release of his 3rd soundtrack, “The Pink Panther” starring Steve Martin and Beyoncé.  Mathew Knowles has made room in his company's new office complex, which houses a rehearsal hall, recording studio and storage facility, for others who have larger-than life dreams. The facility, which occupies an entire city block in downtown Houston, serves as home base in his new role as President of Music World Entertainment/ Sanctuary Urban Holding Company. By constantly and consistently expanding his artist repertoire , Knowles has been able to spur innovation and creativity within his firm while accelerating growth and fostering deeper connections with and communications to the global markets he serves.

Website: Visit the Music World Entertainment Website

 

 

 

Aretha Heads West, Eyes Duets Album

Excerpt from www.billboard.com - Tamara Conniff, The Hollywood Reporter

(August 20, 2004) As soon as a slate of fall concerts is finished, Aretha Franklin will head back into the recording studio. She and music legend Clive Davis, chairman of BMG North America, are teaming again for a new album.   "Clive and I are working on a duets [album]," she says. "I'm also going to do three or four new cuts for that." So far, she plans to sing songs with Mariah Carey and Gloria Estefan, among others.  Franklin recently confirmed her first concerts in Los Angeles since 1983. "I haven't been gone," she says with a laugh. "I just haven't come out. L.A. is not just around the corner if you're driving."   On Sept. 17-18, she will headline Hollywood's newly renovated Greek Theatre and then head to Las Vegas, where she will play the House of Blues on Sept. 24-25. Franklin, who is based in Detroit, says she has not been on a plane since 1983. But since she has to travel to Albuquerque, N.M., on business, and since the drive from Albuquerque to Los Angeles is a bit less severe than the one from Detroit, she says it's worth it.   The artist promises she will sing "all the hits" as well as some tracks from her latest album, "So Damn Happy," released last year via Arista. "I'm going to do some special things that I put together and some wonderful surprises."  Of today's music, Franklin says, "I like what I hear now. I'm very happy with it, and I think it's alive and well. I love OutKast. I think they are just wild, I love them. I love the beat."  Two of her sons also are in the business -- Teddy White has played guitar with her for 15 years, now has his own band and has been opening for her on various dates. Additionally, Kecalf Franklin, who Franklin says is into hip-hop, is looking for a record deal. "It's nice to have your kids in the business with you," she says. "I really love working with my sons."  In related news, Franklin is confirmed to perform Nov. 16 in Little Rock, Ark., as part of the festivities surrounding the Bill Clinton Presidential Library. She will be joined for some cuts by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

 

 

 

Fresh Prince of 1984

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Geoff Pevere, Movie Critic

(Aug. 19, 2004) The pop summer of 1984 was a gaudy one: Madonna was going nova with Like A Virgin, the Jacksons were making a (failed) grab for world domination with Victory and a freshly brawny Bruce Springsteen went stadium-scale with Born In The U.S.A.  Then there was Prince.  Easily the most eccentric and unlikely of that summer's breakout rock phenoms, the 26-year-old Minneapolis boy Prince Rogers Nelson was also delivered to superstardom via the weirdest route: a low-budget, semi-autobiographical, virtually starless made-in-Minneapolis musical fantasy called Purple Rain.  Initially planned as a minor release designed to appeal to the ardent but modest cult following the prodigiously talented singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist had acquired in a five-album career, after substantial advance soundtrack sales the movie instead opened wide and stayed there.  By the end of the summer, Purple Rain was one of the year's biggest movies, the record was one of the best-selling albums, and the only thing more difficult than getting a ticket to the Purple Rain tour was finding someone in the States who planned to vote for Walter Mondale.  Twenty years on, with the release of Purple Rain as a two-disc DVD "20th Anniversary" edition, three things are more evident than ever.  First, it may rank as one of the most dramatically hoary and woodenly performed rock 'n' roll movies of them all.  Second, that doesn't matter because, third, Prince spends close to half the movie performing.  As a record of what Prince was putting on stage at that point in his career — and even on the very same stage, of Minneapolis's First Avenue club, where he put it on most often — Purple Rain remains electrifying.  Whatever fault one may find with other aspects of director Albert Magnoli's inaugural post-film school production, and no matter how thick the layers of period fashion cheese, something fuses from the opening moments when the film's diminutive star approaches the microphone and cues the opening organ chord of "Let's Go Crazy." You're watching a performer captured in his essence by a movie that gets him.  By autumn '83, when Purple Rain was shot in near-freezing temperatures in Minneapolis, Prince had been mixing funk, rock, soul and shameless glam into a live performance package that was already legendary among savvier listeners and pickier critics.  Known for his astoundingly energetic and sonically intricate shows, Prince was also at the centre of a local musical scene — which also included Sheila E. and Purple antagonists Morris Day and The Time — that converged around the cavernous former bus station called First Avenue.  This was the musician's home turf — where he previewed new music and tested new musicians — and it was here that Magnoli wisely set and made his movie. He's got the guy in his element, and it shows.  Based on a story that allegedly drew from Prince's own troubled background, Purple Rain follows the creative and personal travails of the tiny, tight-trousered leader of "The Revolution" (played by Prince's same-named real-life band) named "The Kid" as he struggles with his abusive father (Clarence Williams III), tries to protect his artistic integrity against commercial compromise and competes against Day's primping uptown funkster for the attentions of the comely, up-and-coming chanteuse played by Apollonia.  There is much angst, hair, backlit smoke and lingerie on display, and little by way of logical explanation.  If The Kid lives in the basement of a drab bungalow with his constantly battling parents, how does he afford all those clothes? And guitars? And that fantastic customized purple motorcycle he tools around on?

And how come, when he announces from the First Avenue stage that he's finally ready to play bandmates Wendy and Lisa's composition Purple Rain, the band is surprised at the announcement but then proceeds to do a killer performance?  But that's as far as those questions go.  As soon as the music — still fresh and irresistible — kicks in, it kicks out all other considerations. As a chronicle of an intensely gifted and brilliantly idiosyncratic performer at his peak, and at the final moments before mainstream success stormed briefly in on him and left him an uneasy and uneven superstar, Purple Rain is a captured moment of pure, unadulterated musical glory.  The extras on the two-disc set include a commentary track featuring the director, producer and cinematographer, a series of documentaries on Prince, First Avenue and the movie's legacy, and (my favourite) a fantastic set of eight vintage music videos. But they don't include the notoriously unforthcoming man himself.  One imagines he was content to let the music speak for itself. And you can't really blame him. It not only speaks, it screams.

 

 

 

Alexander O’Neal / SOS Band’s Ra’oof Talk About The Hits

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 23, 2004) *There can never, EVER be too many greatest hits CDs from 80s ladies man Alexander O’Neal and the funk-soul outfit the S.O.S. Band. Both acts release new best-of collections tomorrow, courtesy of Tabu/EMI Records. But if we’re to believe what record labels and concert promoters are telling O’Neal and S.O.S. Band trumpet player Abdul Ra’oof, there aren’t enough fans out here to justify the backing of any new studio material – much less an all-out concert tour.  “The industry is for the young,” says Ra’oof, on the phone from Atlanta. “They want ‘em younger now. If you ain’t Lil Mo, or Lil This or Lil That, ain’t nobody hardly getting no contract.”  The frustration with today’s youth-oriented music industry is echoed by O’Neal, who gave up on trying to get U.S. labels and promoters to get behind him once again. The singer left American shores and spent seven years living in the U.K., where old school R&B cats are embraced with open arms.  “I talk to a lot of different artists from my era and they have the same problems as well,” says O’Neal, 54. “A lot of those guys are coming over to the U.K. I’ve been doing a lot of different shows with people like Howard Hewitt and Freddy Jackson and the fans have been very, very supportive. I enjoy performing there and I get the love that I should be getting here at home. They’ve been in my corner for the last 20 years, so I thought why not [move there].”  If they only knew how hundreds of thousands of us in the states can remember when we heard “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” for the first time, or how many of us are instantly taken back to another time upon hearing “Saturday Love,” or “Weekend Girl,” or “Criticize,” or “High Hopes” – all of which are included on the new greatest hits packages.

“Bottom line with S.O.S., we’re performing, we’re doing the things we’ve been blessed to accomplish in the past,” says Ra’oof, who says the group is putting together a new studio album and live CD. “We’re getting rewarded doing many concerts.”  Both Ra’oof and O’Neal thank old school radio stations for keeping their material in rotation, but frustration sets in when any new material offered to radio is met with a strong stiff arm.  “Unfortunately they appreciate your old stuff more than they do the new stuff,” says Ra’oof. “There aren’t many record companies that’ll sign groups like us. There are few here and there that do, but you have to wait on the right situation. The longer you wait, the better radio becomes because when we started doing this stuff, we didn’t have even classic soul stations, old school, etc. They’re everywhere now.”  “If we didn’t have those stations, I think we’d be in big trouble,” says O’Neal, a native of Natchez, Mississippi who currently makes his home in Minneapolis. “It seems like the industry has looked over all of our accomplishments. It’s pretty frustrating, but I don’t sit back and worry about it. I’m doing the same things I’ve been doing all the time – working and taking care of my family and that’s most important. I really want to show the U.S. what I can do and what I’ve accomplished, but it seems like it’s very difficult to get some consistency with promoters and those types of things.”  O’Neal’s latest album, “The Saga of a Married Man,” was released in Britain in 2002 via Eagle Rock Records. Produced by Bobby Z from the Prince camp, the album is considered by O’Neal to be his best yet.  “It’s a great album. It’s very consistent with Alexander O’Neal and the things that I do,” he says. “But we’re not getting the support of radio because it’s not a major [record company]; it’s a lot of different variables there.”

With the conkaline now out of his hair, the heavy-throated crooner spends these days tending to his eight kids (aged 11 and older) and performing here and there. He also starred in a play in Detroit recently, and says he still does regular gigs with his “Saturday Love” and “Everything I Miss At Home” homegirl, Cherrelle. He also re-recorded the chorus of his song “Sunshine” for former Lost Boyz member Mr. Cheeks, who covered the O’Neal classic for his 2002 solo album.  As forever working with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis again, O’Neal says: “There’s always a chance of getting back with them. That relationship has always been preserved and I think it’s about timing. When the time is right and we have something solid, I figure it’ll be a great thing to come back for a collaboration.”  Of course, Raoof and the rest of the S.O.S. Band – and a snowstorm in Atlanta - are partly responsible for Jam and Lewis being in the position to eventually work with O’Neal.  “They were cutting our album when they were touring with The Time,” remembers Ra’oof. It snowed in Atlanta and they couldn’t fly out to make the next engagement, so they were fired by Prince. I remember that day clearly, what happened when they came back in the studio. We were at Master Sound recording studio and they walked in and looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we’re on our own now bruh, we gotta make it happen.’”  The band were in the midst of “Just Be Good to Me” and “Tell Me If You Still Care” for their third album “S.O.S. III.”  “They had already written ‘High Hopes’ for us, a song we selected from Leon Silvers,” Ra’oof continues. “Silvers Spoon Productions was producing us. Jam and Lewis submitted that song to Leon. They had been submitting different songs to different record companies and we chose that song to record. Then Clarance Avant decided to let them produce the next album, and it’s been history from that point on.”

Like O’Neal, Ra’oof would also like to work with Jam and Lewis again, but in the meantime, the Sounds of Success Band - with original vocalist Mary Davis – are content to work with their long-time producer Sigidi on a new studio album. It’s Sigidi who was behind the board for the band’s signature song, “Take Your Time (Do it Right).”  “We toured a long time on that song and it really set in stone our identity for anyone who wanted to produce us,” explains Ra’oof. “They use that map, with a few changes here and there, but it basically came from ‘Take Your Time.’ It was the biggest hit we ever had.”  The single went on to sell two million records. It stayed atop Billboard’s R&B chart for five weeks and hit #3 on the pop chart. But that was then.  Both Ra’oof and O’Neal are outspoken about how difficult it is to introduce new songs to today’s youth-dominated marketplace. Here’s a note to labels from those of us who can’t get enough of these “greatest hits”: If you sign them, we will come.

 

 

 

Four Early Bob Marley And The Wailers Albums Due

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 19, 2004) LOS ANGELES -- Four original Bob Marley and the Wailers albums recorded before 1972 -- Soul Rebels, Soul Revolution Part Ii, Upsetter Revolution Rhythm and The Best Of The Wailers -- are set to be reissued by JAD/Hip-O Records on Aug. 31, 2004. Each album has been digitally remastered in the U.K. from the original masters.  Also simultaneously released will be a thematic compilation, ORIGINAL CUTS, featuring the early Jamaican hit recordings of songs the Wailers later re-cut for their classic Island/Tuff Gong albums. Among its 24 tracks are "Trenchtown Rock," "Small Axe," "Lively Up Yourself," "Kaya," "Stir It Up," "Duppy Conqueror," "Pass It On, " "Grooving Kingston," "Sun Is Shining," "Kaya" and "Duppy Conqueror."  In 1968, the Wailers began recording for Danny Sims and his JAD label. Though the relationship continued until 1972, it was not exclusive and the group would record for other labels too. In 1969, the Wailers laid down sessions for the Beverley label and producer Leslie Kong. The year after that, they (Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston) teamed with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, backed by his house band the Upsetters (whose rhythm section of bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his drummer brother Carlton would soon join the Wailers).  Those first Perry sessions forever changed the course of reggae and laid the foundation for the global success of Marley and the Wailers. They were among the tracks packaged onto two LPs: Soul Rebels (1970) and Soul Revolution Part II (1971).  Soul Rebels includes such seminal cuts as "My Cup," "Soul Almighty" and "Soul Rebel." The reissue adds the bonuses "Jah Is Mighty" and "Soul Rebel Version 4." Soul Revolution Part II spotlights "Duppy Conqueror Version 4" and "Kaya." The pair of added cuts are alternate takes of "Duppy Conqueror" and "Kaya." Upsetter Revolution Rhythm (1971) was the companion album to the latter disc, featuring the instrumental rhythm tracks (or "versions") of the songs on Soul Revolution Part II. The reissue augments the original with an alternate mix of the version of "Kaya."  The Best Of The Wailers (1970) features the rocksteady recordings the group did for Kong, including "Caution," "Soon Come" and "Do It Twice." The reissue adds versions of "Soul Shakedown Party" and "Soon Come." Truly the best of Bob Marley and the Wailers would soon come -- but Soul Rebels, Soul Revolution Part II, Upsetter Revolution Rhythm and the songs on The Best Of The Wailers and Original Cuts led the way.

 

 

 

Fans Hope For MTV 'Malfunctions'

Source:  Associated Press

(August 23, 2004) Miami -- Miami braced for an invasion of glitz and glamour as celebs headed to the steamy city for the annual MTV music video awards, where the likes of rapper Jay-Z and pal Beyonce will snag some coveted "Moonmen." Celebrities at the Aug. 29 bash include some of the entertainment world's elite, including Alicia Keys, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow. Tickets to the show are sold out, but music fans can look forward to free outdoor concerts or, if they're lucky enough to score an invite or slip past the bouncers, some serious partying. And fans will keep their eyes peeled for any headline-grabbing incident.  Last year's show was marked by Madonna's kissing session with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and another MTV production had Janet Jackson suffering what she termed a "wardrobe malfunction," which left her right breast exposed. Jay-Z topped the list of nominations, grabbing six for his gritty 99 Problems clip, followed by Beyonce, No Doubt, Usher and Outkast, who scored five nominations each.

 

 

 

Leanin’ Back With Remy Ma

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 20, 2004) "My real name is Remy,” declares Remy Ma, the lone female MC in the five-member Bronx-based outfit, Terror Squad. “When I grew up, people always called me Remy Martin, Reminisce, Remmington, you know. Whatever started with ‘rem.’”  The 23-year-old had first chosen the moniker Remy Martin to represent her on the mic, but to avoid any lawsuit drama with the liquor company, the rapper chose to shorten her title to Remy Ma.  “People call me that anyway,” she says. “No one ever says, ‘Hey, Remy Martin?’ They’re always like, ‘What up, Remy Ma? What up, Rem?’ It doesn’t matter to me, I answer to all of it.”  The Bronx-born lyricist was first plucked from obscurity by the late Big Pun, who lived around the corner from her moms and “was probably one of the only millionaires who didn’t wanna leave the hood,” she says. “I went to his house one day and rhymed for him, and he was like, ‘Yo, you crazy, I’ma call you.’”  Pun’s return call the next day marked the beginning of her dealings with the people who would become the Terror Squad, a crew of MCs and producers anchored by Fat Joe and Big Pun. She spat on the tracks “You Was Wrong” and “Ms. Martin” from Pun’s 2000 “Yeaah Baby” album, and upon Pun’s death the same year, was shepherded into the Squad via Joe to join singer Tony Sunshine, and rappers Armageddon and Prospect.  Four years, and one shelved solo album later (through the now-defunct Loud Records), Remy and her TS brethren sit atop Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Rap, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Top 40 charts this week with the summer sizzler, “Lean Back.”  “It happened so quick,” Remy says about the song’s chart domination. “I didn’t really have time to prepare for it. If I would’ve known three months ago that I was gonna have a number one song, I would’ve BEEN started sh*ttin’ on people! Nah I’m just playin’. I’m happy, I’m real happy.”  “Lean Back,” a reference to the Rockaway dance they be doin’ down south, was birthed by Fat Joe as a little move that overweight people could do without collapsing a lung. “He was like, ‘I have to do something that’s fat people-friendly,’” she says. “That’s all he kept saying. You have the Harlem Shake and all that other stuff that doesn’t look cute when fat people do it. So Joe pretty much came up with the ‘lean back’ concept.”

It’s also the Terror Squad’s nod to the Southern crunk that surrounded the New Yorkers while recording most of the album in Miami.  “We recorded in Miami because that’s the only place we could go and get some peace of mind,” she explains. “You wouldn’t have - say one of our family members calling all day. Also, we have a lot of family in Miami. Joe has been building a house for a couple of years now in Miami – from the ground up; [Terror Squad producers] Cool and Dre are based out of Miami, so that’s like our second home. ”  Meanwhile, the Boogie Down native – who in her free time hosts card parties for her friends (charging the brothers $10 to get in) – says Miami’s a nice place to visit, but New York will forever remain her primary place of residence. It’s where she made a name for herself as a relentless battle rhymer not to be effed with. The skills are obvious on her verses throughout “True Story,” as well as her recent underground single “No Bet Chill.”  A solo album is in the works for the fall. The project, currently 75 percent completed with production from Cool and Dre, includes a song she did with Pun for the Loud album that was never released. Remy also wants to recruit Kanye West for a track or two. In the meantime, the MC is enjoying the wave of success and attention with her four partners in rhyme.  “Those are like my brothers, literally,” she says. “They’re to the point where they care who I date, they argue with me, fight with me. I feel the love. It’s more than just a rap crew, it’s more than just business. We go to each other’s houses, eat cereal, walk around in slippers. There’s a lot of love there.”  Being the only female in the Squad “is not a hard thing when they don’t treat you like the only female,” she maintains. But being the sole possessor of the XX chromosome does have its disadvantages. Little family spats tend to surface at photo shoots, for instance, when Remy wants to wear something that Joe frowns upon.  “There’s been times when you’ll see a picture [of us], and you don’t know that right before we took that picture I fought with Joe because he stole my shorts or something. Like the “XXL” cover – those were the second pair of panty-shorts that I had. The first ones, I never recovered them. Joe saw what I was gonna wear, [didn’t like] my outfit hanging up and he jacked them. He’s like, ‘You’re the Terror Squad, you don’t have to dress like that. You’re not Lil’ Kim.’”  Remy says the Squad’s overprotective nature is because they still see her as the 17-year-old girl they encountered when she first joined the cipher.

“I’m 23 now,” she laughs. “But they still look at me like I’m their little sister. Like before my t***es were the 36-D they are now, when I was wearing a 32-A, they were there. So they’re still like, ‘Ma, what are you doing? Cover up.’” The one article of clothing all of the TS members wear with ego-maniacal zeal is a fresh pair of tennis shoes. In fact, Remy and Joe have a costly sneaker competition that has been going on for years.  “It’s to the point now where I spend like maybe $500 for a pair of sneakers – just because I know that Joe doesn’t have them and when he sees me with them he’s going to absolutely die. I have people on the Internet downloading stuff, I’m on eBay – I buy sneakers that aren’t even my size! I wear size six, but sometimes I’ll buy a seven, just so I can prove a point. I swear, it’s disgusting.”  Despite the group’s big brother mentality when it comes to the more head-turning parts of her wardrobe, Remy says she still gets the last word when it comes to her get-up.  “He’s the boss of the record label, but he’s not the boss of the outfit that I wear today,” she laughs. “It’s like, ‘Okay, I understand what you’re saying, thanks for the advice, but fall back. Like I don’t say, ‘Joe, I don’t think you should wear that wife-beater underneath that white tee.’ But I can’t even front – if they didn’t say nothin’, I would feel like they didn’t care, you know? That shows you to some extent, they do give a f***.”

 

 

 

Teedra Moses Tackles The Complex Simplicity Of Hip-Hop Soul

Source: Joe Wiggins / Urban Publicity / TVT Records / joe@tvtrecords.com

(Aug. 20, 2004) New York, NY --­ Born and raised in New Orleans, hip-hop soul songstress Teedra Moses' debut album, COMPLEX SIMPLICITY was released on August 10.  Her debut is brimming with introspective lyrics blended with hip-hop beats and the sassy style of 80's R&B. This album brands her new millennium hip-hop soul.  On the album's lead single "Be Your Girl" Teedra displays her emotional vulnerability by describing a crush from afar. Produced by Pauli Poli, he blends Teedra¹s heartfelt words of affection and plays over a seamless beat.  Pauli Poli primarily produced COMPLEX SIMPLICITY. The 14-track disc creates a vivid picture of love and loss, heartache and reconciliation as Teedra explains:  "I wanted to make an album that was extremely personal. Life and love are sometimes very simple but we make it very complex. I wanted to make an album that touched on those emotions." Stand-out tracks on the album include "You¹ll Never Find (A Better Woman)" with acclaimed MC Jadakiss, "Take Me" featuring Grammy-Award winning artist/producer Raphael Saadiq and "I Think Of You (Shirley¹s Song)," a thoughtful ode to her gospel-singing mother who passed away before Teedra became a recording artist.  COMPLEX SIMPLICITY is inspired by complex situations written simply from the heart. Throughout the album, Teedra showcases her remarkable songwriting with tracks reminiscent of Eighties tunes of Cherrelle and just left of hip-hop soul's centre. Her sweet and sultry voice will keep you mesmerized. In support of her album, Teedra Moses will venture on the 25-city Seagram¹s Gin "Live" tour starting in mid-September.  COMPLEX SIMPLICITY is one of the many upcoming releases from TVT Records. Expected to hit stores later this year: hip-hop super-group, 213 (comprised of Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg), promising Cuban-American lyricist Pitbull, highly touted female emcee Jacki-O, and a new album from multi-platinum group Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz. Upcoming urban releases for 2005 include the first R&B Crunk artist Oobie and Lil' Jon-protégé Chyna Whyte, a female rapper with vicious rhymes and incredible lyrical dexterity.

 

 

 

Otis Williams -- The ‘Never Ending Story’ of the Temptations

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 20, 2004) Armies have conquered… And fallen in the end Kingdoms have risen…Then buried by sand The Earth is our mother…She gives and she takes She puts us to sleep…In her light we'll awake We'll all be forgotten…There's no endless fame But everything we do…It's never in vain

How many people can say that they are a living legend and continue to add to their legacy with each passing year? Otis Williams, the founder and manager of the Temptations, can brag of such a feat.  “Berry Gordy saw the group at a record hop in Detroit and asked us to come join the record label he was starting and that is what we did. I knew Gordy before he started Motown. Berry was a noted songwriter around Detroit. He simply got tired of being gypped out of his royalties and money and decided to start his own label. He wrote some of Jackie Wilson’s earlier hits. He was actually a creative person that had to learn how to be a business person because Motown took off quick once it started rolling,” explained Williams. “We went over to Motown in 1961 and history was made. Prior to that, I was at a small record company called Northern Records. At that time the group was known as Otis Williams and The Distants. “We had a popular recording out called “Come On.” Before that, we were the Siberians. That group consisted of Elbridge Bryant, whom we called Al, James Crawford, or Pee Wee, Arthur Walton, and Vernard Plain our lead singer and of course myself. Arthur was replaced with Melvin Franklin and then Vernard quit and he was replaced with Richard Street," recalled the hit maker. “When we came over to Motown we became the Temptations. We were Motown’s first all male group. Motown had Smokey Robinson and the Miracles but they were a co-ed group because Claudette Robinson was part of the Miracles.”  The Temptations have had a number of different members over the years. Ali-Ollie Woodson, Elbridge ("Al") Bryant (tenor), Melvin Franklin (bass), Eddie Kendricks (lead, high tenor), Otis Williams (baritone), Paul Williams (baritone, some leads). Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin (lead, tenor), in 1963. Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards, in 1968. Other members included Glenn Leonard, Louis Price and Theo Peoples. Paul Williams came after Richard Street in 1971 but in 1973, Paul committed suicide. Throughout the early 1990’s Franklin, Kendricks, and Ruffin all died of unrelated causes. By 1998, the line-up was comprised of Terry Weeks, Barrington Scott Henderson, Otis Williams, Harry McGilberry Jr., and Ron Tyson. The current line-up consists of Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, G.C. Cameron and Joe Herndon.  There was a period when the Temptations had a great run of hits. “Yes, the Temptations had a lot of hits but one of the better periods was when Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin were members. David joined the group in 1964. That was when the Temptations were the most memorable and unique,” says Otis. Smokey Robinson wrote several of the Temptation hits. He wrote: “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “My Girl,” “Get Ready,” “Since I Lost My Baby,” and “I Wish It Would Rain,” etc. He was an artist, song-writer and producer. “He wrote for other artists as well, recalled Williams. “Smokey wrote for Mary Wells, the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes and of course the Miracles. You know we all grew up together. We worked with the Supremes who were known at one time as the Primetes” stated Otis. Producer Norman Whitfield also wrote several songs for the group including “Cloud Nine”; “I Can’t Get Next To You”; “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and “Runaway Child.”

Otis was born in Texas but grew up in Detroit. “When I moved to Detroit, I became impressed with performers such as Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers; the Cadillacs; Ruth Brown; Jimmy Jones and the heavy hitters that were around during the infancy days of Rock ‘n Roll. In 1956, I was 15 or 16 years old. I was inspired by these groups and what they did on stage and decided that was what I wanted to do, too,” reflected the singer. Otis formed several groups until he found the right combination. “One of the things the Temptations pride themselves on is that we can adapt ourselves to the music of the time. We have been able to reinvent ourselves. We went through R&B, Disco, and now the genre is Rap. We have dealt with Rap but of course we are not rappers. You won’t see us come out with our pants down or our caps on backwards. We don’t want to step out of character and be something we are not,” chuckled Otis. “The Temptations look for a song that best suits us. A song that is produced well and one we feel we can do well. We have a CD out now called “Legacy.” Legacy was released in June, 2004. Most of the songs on it are originals. It’s our last recording for Motown so it will become a collector’s item. There was a brief time we left Motown and went to Atlantic Records in the late 1970s. We again re-signed with Motown but now once again we are moving away from Motown,” stated the renowned performer. “Since Berry Gordy left in 1988, Motown hasn’t been the same. Clive Davis and people like Gordy were really record people. Now you got accountants, corporate folks and lawyers who don’t really care about the product, yet want you to go out and sell a million units without their wanting to put money behind the CD. The record business is not that good any more. Much of what you see in the business now is what I would call “bottom line pencil pushers.” Right now the Temptations are keeping their options open. Who knows, I might start my own label and put the Temptations on my own label,” states Otis.”  The record business may have its ups and downs but the Temptations have had many glorious moments, such moments as their induction into the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame”; acquiring a star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”; receiving 4 Grammies; breaking all records at the Apollo Theatre and the Copacabana; having been part of the Motown 25 TV Show and the Temptation mini-series. Also, Williams co-authored his book with Patricia Romanowsk-Bashe, aptly entitled “Temptations.” “Yes, those were some of the highlights,” reflected the enduring artist. “I can say it’s been a wonderful ride. Some of the downside has been the loss of my mother, brother and son and the loss of the original Temps. There are always consequences in life. Everyone has a role to play and I am fortunate enough to do what I love despite those unhappy times. I occasionally have had to be a taskmaster and the glue that holds everything together but I carry the badge with honour and understand it can be a difficult position sometimes. Yet, all things balance out. I am glad to have experienced more of the good than bad and feel fortunate in that respect. Life is ever learning. No matter how old you come to be, you don’t know it all. Once, someone told me to always stay facile of mind. You have to keep your mind fluid and facile. You can’t be rigid. It’s best to keep an open mind,” stated Otis who recently demonstrated the famous Temptation style of dress and fluidity of motion during a recent appearance at Radio City Music Hall.”  Otis spoke of the downward spiral of society these days. “We have become a very decadent society. There is a decline in morals and it seems it’s all about the mighty dollar. So many changes are happening these days. There is nothing left to the imagination. A couple years ago, I heard this song on the radio that was so graphic, I thought: “Now this is really ridiculous. You don’t have to get that explicit to sell a record.” Some may be quick to call a woman a bitch but then what about your mother and grandmother and aunt? People have lost something. They have become desperate. We are living in some sad times. “At least music is one thing that still allows folks to have common ground. No matter where the Temptations go, even in the most remote parts of the world, people know about the music of Motown. I don’t know what’s happening to America these days. Under Clinton we were flourishing but since Bush has come into office there is a change of a lot of things economic-wise. I am voting. Everybody needs to vote because if we get another four years of Bush, this country will be in trouble. Bush has definitely killed America’s credibility in a whole lot of ways.  The Temptations have assured their place in history and Otis Williams is truly the last of his kind as well as a legend in his own time. The Temptations have given a grateful world a fabulous legacy that will go on for years to come. Interested parties can visit William’s website which can be accessed on www.otiswilliams.net. Otis plans to add his clothing line, life story and his oil paintings and sketches in future.

We're part of a story, part of a tale… We're all on this journey No one's to stay, Oh where is it going? What is the way? We're part of a story, part of a tale…Sometimes beautiful and sometimes insane No one remembers how it began

 

 

 

New Edition: Call It A Comeback

Excerpt from www.allhiphop.com - By Kim N. Cooper and Dove

When Boston grade school pals Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Bobby Brown formed a singing group in 1978, they may not have known the impact that their decision would make over the next two decades and beyond. Within two years of getting together, they added Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe to the group, and were eventually discovered by Maurice Starr after a series of talent shows.   In 1983 they released the album Candy Girl independently on Starr’s Streetwise label with the hits “Candy Girl”, “Popcorn Love”, and “Is This The End”, and were eventually offered a deal with MCA Records. In 1984 they released their self-titled double-platinum MCA debut, which spawned the hits “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man”. As the boys’ vocal maturity was beginning to progress, they completed the platinum All For Love album in 1985 before any of them had even turned 18.  Bobby Brown chose to pursue a solo career in 1986, and came so hard on his debut album that fans wondered what would become of New Edition without him. Nevertheless, the group was reborn in 1989 with the classic double-platinum Heart Break album, with Johnny Gill fielding the spot that Bobby left open. The success of “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand The Rain” further solidified the young legacy that New Edition had created for themselves. Meanwhile, Bobby Brown’s second solo album, Don’t Be Cruel, was on its way to selling an amazing seven million copies.  All the members split after touring for the Heart Break project to pursue other endeavours. Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill both enjoyed platinum status with their self-titled solo albums in the early 90’s. Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe and Michael Bivins formed Bell Biv DeVoe, and catapulted to the top of the pop charts with their Poison album, churning out five hit singles and selling over three million copies.   More albums were released from each camp as the individual artists attempted unsuccessfully to match their previous sales numbers. Michael kept pace with his own label and management company, discovering groups like Boyz II Men and Another Bad Creation. Johnny linked up with Keith Sweat and Gerald Levert to form LSG. Ronnie got his real estate license. Bobby stayed in the headlines. In 1996, all six men, Bobby included, met up in the studio to record the Home Again album. The reunion gave New Edition two big hits with “Hit Me Off” and “I’m Still In Love With You”, however after a promotional tour for the album, they chose to go their separate ways once again.  In 2004, New Edition is back like a phoenix from the flames of perceived obscurity. Sean “Puffy” Combs signed the men on with Bad Boy to record again – this time without the notorious bad boy, Bobby. Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe took some time to speak with AllHipHop.com about the challenges that comeback kings face in today’s music scene.

AllHipHop.com: Talk to me briefly about signing to Bad Boy and coming back out - how has that been for you and how did that come about?

Ronnie: We were on tour in Summer 2002, touching all our die-hard fans, and Puffy happened to be one of the people at one of our shows, and saw that we still had it and were still relevant as a group. So he got in contact with Mike and asked questions about the present position of our record label, because we had some problems with our record label at the time. But Puffy was willing to do everything to smooth the situation out, along with our lawyers, Mike and our manager. We are here now and we have an incredible record out.

AllHipHop.com: ‘Hot To Nice’ is the new single, and you just shot the video right?

New Edition: Yes it is.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the theme of the video, what’s going on with that?

Mike: Well it is actually Hype Williams coming out of retirement to work with New Edition; we never had that opportunity before so that is very special. It is very sensual; it’s right there but still TV-friendly. I actually saw a Q-Tip video today, and it reminded me of how he got away with going right there, without them making him cut the stuff out. This is what Hype did with us - he brought the song out even more. He gave the song a look that you don’t hear or can’t really see when you just play the record, and I think he mastered that very well.

AllHipHop.com: Who are some of the producers that you guys worked with on the album?

Ronnie: We worked with some classic producers - Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they handles their business with four joints on there. They are representing for the true new Edition fans. We also have Stevie J on there, which was a big thing for us. Some new and upcoming producers; Ryan Leslie has a few joints on there. We have tracks from the kid Nephew from the Dr. Dre camp so we have a little bit of the West Coast flavour. It’s a great balance of classic New Edition and the bounce of Bad Boy. As well as the Bel Biv Devoe Energy, a little Johnny Gill energy you know.

AllHipHop.com: So with the September 28th album, what’s the title of it?

Mike and Ronnie: One Love.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk a little bit about what happened on the radio in New York earlier this week. There was some conversation about New Edition’s relevance in the marketplace in 2004 and beyond. What do you guys have to say to those critics who are non-believers?

Mike: It’s just a thing that you have to understand here in New York City, they have taken a stance that a couple of the radio stations have taken; that it is important to program a lot of rap. You have a lot of R&B people who were on when we were off, that want to look like rappers. This really didn’t help the look of R&B. When you have a group like New Edition, when we walk in the radio station, the DJ looks like us, we look like the DJ.
When the New Edition name comes up, half of the people that work at the radio station were our age with no jobs when we were younger working. So when they see us coming, now they are thinking about when they were younger, and we were in the business. But that has nothing to do with the music that we make, the clothes that we wear and how we conduct ourselves as professionals. You cannot judge us by our name and our longevity, stamp that and say that our music is not relevant. It makes no sense. Nor can you call the shots on what we do and what our fans mean to us if you don’t leave your station and go to another concert.

AllHipHop.com: There was a ten-year-old who was standing next to me, who said she knew all about New Edition because her aunty told her, and she loved all of you guys.

Mike: She can relate to our music because it has some measure of youth to it, she can listen to ‘Candy Girl’, enjoy the song and feel comfortable playing it in the house. A child can hear all our albums; we never really had a ‘sticker album’.

AllHipHop.com: Do we have any comments on our friend Bobby Brown? What do you have to say?

Ronnie: There is a sixth mic on stage every night and if Bobby wants to come on stage and do his thing that it is totally up to him. Unfortunately we didn’t get him on this record, because he was out there doing his thing, filming his reality TV show, but the door is always open for him. Right now there is the five of us doing our thing, but there is another level that we can take it to, on a next record so you know so that’s a good thing.

AllHipHop.com: What are some your of favourite things to do when you come to New York? Favourite Places to eat? Do you like to just do your show and just chill out?

Mike: I like to eat at the Church on 125th and 8th; the Church has some soul food, the ladies’ in the white outfits.

Ronnie: We all do different stuff, he goes uptown to eat, and I go uptown for a haircut. I always call Herb around 11pm and let him know we are going to do a half an hour popping at one of the hot spots.

AllHipHop.com: You broker those real estate deals in the morning?

Ronnie: Yes I do. A lot of people have been supporting New Edition for a long time, and I was able to get my real estate license and learn a few things on that level so that I could help and support people. Help them to get into financial empowerment, that’s the best thing about living right now, being able to own something. We got to get into that a bit more, and teach our kids that at an early age. It’s not about working for the rest of your life, for the man you got to be the man.

AllHipHop.com: What do you want your fans to take away from this album?

Mike: Keep doing with you normally do with the album, play it, you know the voices, learn the parts and get ready to go sing them at the show.

AllHipHop.com: I heard that there might be a possible tour with Heavy D, and I heard that he might be in studio with New Edition as well?

Ronnie: There are a lot of guys. You have Guy, you got Jodeci, Boys II Men, Usher, Mase, the whole Bad Boy family, they all will probably be on our TV Special.

AllHipHop.com: Talk to me a little bit about that.

Mike: We want to know to do a 20th anniversary TV special and we want to invite a lot of people from the 80’s and the 90’s. It might be an LL, Doug E and Slick thing, a show that gives live artists a chance to give the people something else to choose from. We get a chance to celebrate with people who we came up through the ranks with. We did shows with all of those artists and it just seems now, when you watch TV you are near to watching the video. At least with these artists you can see the difference between the studio, the video and the live show. Just getting the opportunity to work with Guy again is going to be big. We are going to bring R&B back; R&B singers put your clothes back on!

Ronnie: we need Tony Toni Tone’, we need SWV, we going to bring all that back!

Mike: R&B is definitely making a comeback!

 

 

 

Festival A Too-Cool Shade Of Blues: B. B. King Blues Festival

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Brad Wheeler

(Aug. 25, 2004) Down and out in Toronto. The blues season was lousy, beginning with the cancellation of a star-studded affair at the Hummingbird Centre in the spring, continuing with the big defeat of Toronto Bluesfest a month ago. The annual Harbourfront festival was never even planned this go-around. The blues are in some bad way, and perhaps that makes all the sense. So, here comes the B. B King Blues Festival, a touring one-night hit-and-run show, representing the city's whole blues term in one fell swoop. More of a "blues bundle" than a festival proper, the package leans hard on veteran acts, taking no chances, with the exception of young Shemekia Copeland, on the upstarts. The call was correct -- the audience are veterans too, the 5:30 p.m. start time as welcome as an early-bird blue-plater in Boca Raton. Up first: the Muddy Waters Blues Band, an alumni association that finds regular work trading on the name of a man dead more than two decades. The line-up varies from tour to tour; this show's membership includes John Primer on guitar, Calvin Jones on bass, Jerry Portnoy on harmonica and Willie (Big Eyes) Smith on drums. The group close a quick set with Got My Mojo Workin', and with very little ado, out walks Elvin Bishop. Part of the white wave of Chicago blues artists in the 1960s, guitarist Bishop is remembered for his work in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He lets the audience know from the start that he does not play "100-per-cent blues," and he lives up to the warning. What he does play, rather unremarkably, is good-natured seventies boogie rock. It is a squinting crowd that takes in next act Shemekia Copeland -- the semi-shelter of the Molson Amphitheatre fails to interrupt the glaring low light from the west. The big-voiced Copeland, daughter of the late Texas bluesman Johnny Copeland, is not hard to make out. Often compared to Koko Taylor and Etta James, Copeland boasts W.C. Handy nominations and awards for her recent albums Wicked and Talking to Strangers. And yet, I resist her charms, consistently, if singularly. The slow, dramatic power ballad Don't Whisper, the swampy, strutting Miss Hy Ciditty, and the southern rocker It's 2 a.m. are simply not blues, not to conservative thought anyway -- more unsubtle soul rock than anything else. Still, she is young, the audience tonight is receptive.

As night falls, her star rises. As the sun tucks under the horizon, who better to take the stage than Dr. John Creaux, the Night Tripper? Probably the funkiest white man alive, Dr. John sits between a Hammond B-3 and a grand piano for the greasy blues of One 2 a.m. Too Many, playing the organ with his right hand, pumping the rhythm on the piano with his left. Drawing from his new album N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or D'udda, the former Mac Rebennack continues on, one sly, finger-poppin' R&B number after another. At one point, the celebratory gospel of Lay My Burden Down follows When the Saints Go Marching In, sung stern and in funeral style. As Dr. John's set is strong, so is headliner King's. Remarkably stout in voice and showing renewed interest as a guitarist, the 78-year-old "B" turns in his best Toronto performance in years, the short festival set agreeing with him. Trim versions of Early in the Morning, You Are My Sunshine, The Thrill Is Gone, When Loves Comes to Town, How Blue Can You Get?, Rock Me Baby, Nightlife and Nobody Loves Me But My Mother were played. The latter, containing the saddest line of the night: "Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin' too." By 10:30 p.m., the show was complete -- right in time for the fireworks display that capped the day's events at the Canadian National Exhibition, across Lake Shore Blvd. So ended Toronto's lone major blues festival of the summer. They probably could have boiled the concert down to the final two acts, and not many would have complained. A little of the right blues is just enough.

 

 

 

LL Cool J: The Marathon Man

Excerpt from www.allhiphop.com - By Jigsaw

There are few people in Hip-Hop as dominating as LL Cool J. If you’re an adult now, he was there when you were probably still a kid. If you’re younger, LL was likely around before you were seeded. But both young and old know LL Cool J as an icon. With no sense of history, this man has reigned always. In these twenty years, LL’s made some mistakes. He’s crossed over, crossed back, and crossed out competitors the whole time. In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, LL confronts his triumphs, some of his mistakes, gives wise insights to the oncoming election and explained his new album The DEFinition.  Mr. Smith, we followed you then, salute you now, and we don’t dare mention retirement.

AllHipHop.com: What was your aim for this album?

LL: My aim was to make a record that could play at 1:15 in the morning in the club. And to make something new, and to challenge and stretch myself a bit and not repeat myself in terms of what I did. In terms of what single I dropped, the video I put out, my whole approach to it, I wanted to stretch myself. I wanted to challenge everything. Thus, I put out hits from the “challenge myself” intellect, to make the game interesting. I’m loving the success that it’s having and I feel great about the way it’s exploding around the country. Even internationally, it’s really doing well and I’m very thankful. I didn’t want to do anything political or social. Well, social is a different word because fun is social. But I didn’t want to do anything political. I wanted it to be pure entertainment.

AllHipHop.com: Why not political?

LL: I think that… for me, there is enough of that out there and there is a time and a place to do that. One of the greatest services that I can supply mankind with, apart from the interviews and my life, is to give them an opportunity to take an hour and forget about their problems, the strife, forget about what’s going on in the world and have a good time. I think as an artist, we have the responsibility. That’s part of the reason why people make music, why people paint pictures, and why people sculpt, and why they do what they do, to let people escape and give them that vibe.

AllHipHop.com: I kind of disagree with that. Not that I disagree with you doing that, because that has been your zone for the majority of your career, but now there’s no balance in Hip-Hop. So when you were out, there might have been a Chuck D.

LL: I understand what you are saying on that, but I think that at those times you have to listen to the deeper meaning. A lot of what Chuck was talking about and the things he was dealing with was about the government and how they treat the community. My perspective is more about how the community treats [itself]. That is very important to me. I’m very much one who believes in self help. I have faith in God and I believe that we have to raise our children. We can’t ask the government to do that. For me I would rather set the example, through the actions. By doing the things I do and not limiting myself, by being willing to take risks. A lot of times words are important but they have to coincide with what’s in your heart. Because if you speak a d they don’t coincide with that’s in your heart they are empty and meaningless. It’s important to me, whatever I do, that it coincides with my heart. Whether it’s my imagination, whatever, it has to coincide with what’s going on inside of me so that I can look people in the eye and feel good about what I do. So for me at this point in my career, making a political album would not be real for me. I have said the things I wanted to say just like on the one in the morning record when I said, “Uncle LL I got product for sale so I can bail Al Sharpton out of Jail.” Its funny but when you think about it its necessary. AG Gaston had to be around to bail Martin Luther King out of jail. So you have to read between the lines. I said, “Get my Bentley park on and them give my dogs platform to bark on.” If you pay attention to that economic empowerment is the key to all the freedom we are seeking politically. It’s the Bob Johnson’s and Oprah’s and God willing, the LL Cool J’s that are going to make the difference and make all of those political dreams that partly Chuck D and others talk about even possible. We need to make sure that the focus is correct.

AllHipHop.com: Did you recently just go to the Democratic Convention in Boston?

LL: I went to the convention, but I went to [perform at] the Rock to Vote concert. And what I said after I finished performing was, I’m not here to endorse any particular candidate. I said that if there is any candidate that is looking for my endorsement, we have to meet face to face and I need to know what their plans are and how they are going to affect my community, and then America as a whole, and then my community within America. I have to know what the plan is. I’m not going to lend my name and my credibility. I respect them of course. And I said it respectfully because you have to respect the people that are running for the leadership of our country because this is a great country. And I do love this country because it has given me a great opportunity. Regardless of what our ancestry is, ultimately we are all here because of our ancestry. So whether good or bad, at the end of the day we are here now and we need to take advantage of this opportunity of being Americans. At the same time, if I’m going to endorse somebody, I can’t just endorse him or her just by default. We have to sit down and talk. I have to see what’s going on, and how what you do affects the people I love.

AllHipHop.com: Have you followed any of the candidates?

LL: A lil’ much. I haven’t been stimulated to that point. When I hear someone talking about something other than what Bush has done wrong, then I can listen a lil’ better. But at this point I don’t know anything about what anyone is saying but what Bush did wrong. That doesn’t help me. There’s a whole focus on the problem but what’s the solution?

AllHipHop.com: Back to the album, that “One in the Morning” is hot, but you are real cocky on that. It reminds me of the old L. You talk about the sucker with the potbelly on the couch, it reminded me of the LL back in the day.

LL: That’s just part of what it is. That’s just Hip-Hop. I leave it on the record. It’s kind of like basketball for me. You dunk with your tongue hanging out, but you don’t walk around with your tongue hanging out. I leave it on the records and I know how to separate it. I only go there every now and then because it can get out of control but that’s just Hip-Hop to me.

AllHipHop.com: One song on the album you say, “I’m a family man still hard like a rock.” What does that line mean?

LL: I’ll tell you exactly what that means. It means that I love my family, but don’t think for a minute [that] I won’t stand up for my principles. That’s as real as it gets. And a lot of times, I think people associate having a family with complacency, and a lack of hunger and desire and a willingness to stand up for what you believe in. And that would never be me.

AllHipHop.com: I see that R. Kelly is on the album. In light of his situation, I know that you have daughters yourself, what made you work with him and did those issues ever come to play?

LL: It’s very simple, man. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone, that’s first. Second, we have all done a lot of things they just all aren’t tape. So far me to judge that man because his was on tape would be ridiculous. I’m not saying I did exactly what he did but we all have skeletons. We all have bones that need to be collected and brought back to life. So I’m not going to judge him about his personal life. That was us getting together creatively and I leave it as that. I’m not endorsing what he did on the tape or judging him. I have to let that be his personal life and separate it. And yes, I have three daughters. [But] I’m not going to judge him.

AllHipHop.com: What do you think about the overall state of Hip-Hop?

LL: I think that Hip-Hop is in a great place, it is bigger than it has ever been. It has probably reached critical mass; it hasn’t reached critical mass in the world. It is not where it is around the world like it is in the US. It is big, but it is ten years behind in like 1994 in terms of mainstream media. In terms of its effect on cultures around the world, it doesn’t have its same dominance. I think it is in a great place.

AllHipHop.com: When you say critical mass?

LL: I mean it has reached its highest point; it has permeated and saturated every nook and cranny of the culture that is critical mass. It is everywhere and has reached its highest heights as an art form. It is everywhere in every commercial, Fortune 500 companies there is still some growth left, but there isn’t as much growth left as there was. So I am glad to be a part of it at this point; it was beautiful it was almost like a mushroom cloud and I got to sit on top of it and rise with it and that is a great thing.

 

 

 

Nore Signs With The Roc

Source:  Universal Music

(Aug. 16, 2004) The past year has been one of change and rebirth for the Roc-A-Fella Records (Universal Music Canada) empire; with the phenomenal success of Kanye West and the Young Gunz the seminal hip-hop label has identified it's next generation of stars. And with continued forays into film (Dash Films), the magazine world (America), luxury watches (Tiret), and an expanded music empire (Roc-A-Fella Music), co-founder and CEO Damon Dash shows no signs of slowing on his quest for what he calls "global domination."  To that end, Dash continues to bolster Roc-A-Fella's powerful roster with yet another heavy hitter: Noreaga aka N.O.R.E.

NORE, one half of the Queens duo Capone N' Noreaga - or CNN - continues last years signing spree of some of the top talent in the game, including Ol' Dirty Bastard and M.O.P.  "When Jay announced his retirement, I knew it was going to be a test for both me personally and the Roc-A-Fella brand as a whole," says Dash. "At that time, and we knew about it way in advance, I started a crusade in our camp to rally the troops and push everyone as hard as I could, from staff to managers to artists. And I went out and got some of the best, preparing for this time. NORE's the latest. He's been my man for a long time, an obviously I'm a huge fan. He's likes the way we get down at the Roc. It's a natural." NORE agrees; "I knew Dame for a long time, and he was always getting me involved in movies and whatever else he was doing, he was getting me involved in everything as if I was already a member of the Roc family. We just wrapped the State Property 2 movie. I mean, it's as if I was already a Roc-A-Fella artist, so it just made sense. One thing I've always liked and admired about Dame is that he allows and encourages his artists to be entrepreneurs themselves, and you know I've got my Thugged Out label so, again, it's a good fit. He's a cake-a-holic, I'm a work-a-holic, so hopefully together we can be rich-a-holic."
NORE plans to drop his as-yet-untitled Thugged Out/Roc-A-Fella debut sometime in November. Stay tuned for more news on NORE, Kanye West, the Young Gunz, Damon Dash and the entire Roc-A-Fella Records family.

 

 

 

Disney Battles Heirs Of South African Who Wrote Famous Song

Source:  Associated Press

(Aug. 25, 2004 ) PRETORIA -- Disney Enterprises Inc. filed an urgent court application yesterday to prevent its trademarks from being sold off in South Africa if a poor family that says it lost millions in royalties from the hit song The Lion Sleeps Tonight wins its lawsuit against the American entertainment giant. Lawyers acting for the family of the late musician Solomon Linda, who penned the original song Mbube in 1939, obtained a court order in July attaching more than 240 trademarks registered in South Africa to their $1.6-million (U.S.) suit in order to establish local jurisdiction. The trademarks, which include well-known images such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, could be sold locally to pay Linda's heirs if they win their lawsuit. Lawyers for Disney asked the Pretoria High Court to set aside the attachment order, arguing that the executor of Linda's estate had not been appointed properly, making everything he did on its behalf null and void. They also said the case should have been brought against Walt Disney Pictures and Television, the subsidiary of Disney Enterprises that produced the film The Lion King, the South African Press Association reported. Lawyers for the family rejected Disney's arguments, saying the executor was correctly appointed and that Disney Enterprises Inc. was the right party to sue as it has overall control. Judge Hekkie Daniels reserved judgment in the matter after a three-hour hearing. Disney's Africa manager, Christine Service, declined to comment, saying: "We won't be engaging in public discussions on ongoing legal matters." Linda died penniless in 1962, having sold the rights to his original song to a South African publisher. It went on to generate an estimated $15-million (U.S.) in royalties after it was adapted by other artists, including the American songwriter George Weiss, whose version is featured in The Lion King. The song has been covered by at least 150 artists, including The Tokens, George Michael, Miriam Makeba and The Spinners. Linda's three surviving daughters and 10 grandchildren, living in poverty in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, have received only a one-time payment of $15,000 (U.S.), or $19,500 Canadian, according to their lawyers. The action is based on laws in force in Commonwealth countries at the time the song was first recorded. Under its provisions, the rights to a song revert to the composer's heirs 25 years after his death.

 

 

 

MUSIC TIDBITS

Raven-Symone Mixes Things Up

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)

Raven-Symone, star of Disney Channel's "That's So Raven" series, will release her Hollywood Records solo debut, "This is My Time," on Sept. 21. Collaborators include Scott Storch, Kara DioGuardi, Diane Warren, Walter Afansieff, Matthew Gerrard and trip-hop artist/producer Tricky. The former “Cosby” show star co-wrote four songs on the album, including the title track. "I wanted to make an album that mixes new soul with alternative with hip-hop,” Ms. Symone says of her latest foray into music. “I enjoy all different types of music, from Alanis Morissette to Janet [Jackson] and Jay-Z. I love the freedom to mix it all up, to create my own sound."

Saturday Is Fantasia Barrino Day

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 20, 2004) *Ever wonder what it's like to have a day proclaimed in your honour? Well, just ask the reigning American Idol, Fantasia Barrino.  It was done by North Carolina governor, Mike Easley, to mark the day as her first major singing appearance in her home state since winning the "AI" title in May.  On Saturday night, the High Point native, as well as other "American Idol" contestants will do their thing in Winston-Salem, a one-nighter on the "American Idols Tour 2004."  Specifically, Easley's proclamation, issued Thursday, says Barrino is "a true testament to what happens when you put your heart and soul into your dream." It says she "has shown through her amazing talent and larger-than-life personality that goodness does really grow right here in North Carolina."

D-Roc of Ice-T's Body Count Dies

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 19, 2004) *Dennis “D-Roc” Miles, a rhythm guitarist for Ice-T’s rock band Body Count, died Tuesday due to complications from lymphoma. He was 45.  “D-Roc was the backbone of the Body Count sound,” remembers Ice T. “He went to school with me and Ernie, for me it was great to bring friends from my childhood along to share in success. Words cannot explain how much we will miss D-Roc - more as a friend than as a band member,” says Ice-T.  D-Roc, whose driving guitar energy provided Body Count’s musical pulse, was joined in the group by Ice-T, Ernie-C (lead guitar), Mooseman (bass) and Beatmaster V (drums).  Family and friends were at his bedside at City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California when he died. Miles is survived by a daughter Paris, stepdaughter Kianna and family in Los Angeles.  Sadly, the Body Count name has been prophetic for the group. The passing of D-Roc follows the 1996 death of original drummer Beatmaster V due to complications from leukemia; and the shooting death of original bassist Mooseman in 2000. Ice T and guitarist Ernie C are the lone surviving members.  “We will carry on the band in some form,” Ernie-C says. “I don’t know if it will be Body Count, but in some form, Ice and I will always play together.”

More 'Power' To Him: Chingy Returns This Fall

Excerpt from www.billboard.com - Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

(August 20, 2004) Rapper Chingy will release his sophomore album, "Powerballin'," Nov. 16 via Capitol. First single "Balla Baby" will arrive next month at U.S. radio outlets. A video for the cut will be shot next week in Los Angeles by director Jeremy Rall (Ludacris, Field Mob).  "Powerballin'" is the follow-up to Chingy's 2002 debut "Jackpot," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It spawned the smash singles "Right Thurr," "One Call Away" and "Holidae In." The latter cut is up for best hip-hop video next weekend at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Of late, Chingy has been heard guesting on Houston's single "I Like That," which is No. 23 this week on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.  According to his official Web site, Chingy will play four dates in Japan beginning tonight (Aug. 20) in Osaka. Also on his schedule is a Sept. 2 taping for MTV's "Hard Rock Live" in Orlando, Fla.

New Wyclef Album Honours Haiti

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 25, 2004) *In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Haiti’s Independence, native son Wyclef Jean will release “Sak Pase Presents: Welcome to Haiti Creole 101,” a new album brimming with political commentary designed to stir up the pot during this election season. The disc is due October 5th on Koch Records.  "Haiti was the first black Republic to gain independence from slavery and since 2004 is the 200th anniversary of this victory, I thought it was the perfect time to highlight our rich history," Jean says.  He’s already performed the set’s first single “President” at the Democratic National Convention in Boston on July 28th, the “A Change Is Going To Come: The Concert For John Kerry” at Radio City Music Hall on July 8th and on “Chappelle’s Show” on May 4th.  "'President' is more than just a critique of the current political and social environment, it's a message to young people about the importance of making their voices heard by voting and educating themselves about issues that affect their lives," he says.

Artist Formerly Known As D’arby

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 25, 2004) *He has abandoned his old name in favour of Sananda Maitreya, and has also tossed out the traditional use of a record label to get his new music to the masses. The former Terence Trent D’Arby is releasing his latest album “Angels and Vampires” through his Web site (www.sanandamaitreya.com) in chapters.  Three songs have already been released under the banner “Chapter 1: The Jaguar and the Jungle Sound.” Maitreya has just made available the second chapter, “Monkey Puzzles: pastiche, present & future,” which includes the tracks “Time Takes Time,” “It Ain’t Been Easy” and “Dolphin.”  Sananda is using the Weed technology format to allow fans to download his new music. Weed allows you to download the tracks for free and then play them three times. When you attempt a forth listen, it asks you to fork over the doe to pay for it.

  

 

 

No Rap On New Latifah Album

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 24, 2004) *Queen Latifah can now put the rap mic in the same catchall room as the African-themed hats. Her next album, due September 28th, will celebrate her singing voice on a collection of standards from the jazz, R&B and pop genres.  “The Dana Owens Album,” to be released via Vector/Flavor Unit/Interscope, is produced by Arif Mardin and Ron Fair, whose resumes include the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Chaka Khan and the Black Eyed Peas.  According to “Billboard,” two first single from the album premiere today via AOL Music’s “First Listen” program. The first is a cover of the Mamas & the Papas classic "California Dreamin'" inspired by Jose Feliciano's quasi-flamenco version on his 1968 album, "Feliciano!" The second is a big band arrangement of the Leonard Feather/Billy Moore Jr. song "Baby Get Lost," versions of which have been recorded by Billie Holliday, B.B. King and Dinah Washington.  Guests on the album include Al Green (appearing on a version of his own "Simply Beautiful"); James Moody (on a take of his "Moody's Mood for Love"); and Herbie Hancock (on the Screamin' Jay Hawkins standard "I Put a Spell on You.")  Latifah will hit the talk show circuit next month to promote the collection. In addition to an appearance at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, she’ll hit NBC's "Today Show" (Sept. 24), CBS' "60 Minutes" (Oct. 3); "The Late Show With David Letterman" (Oct. 6) and "Live With Regis & Kelly" (Oct. 7). A "Saturday Night Live" appearance is also likely, as is an hour-long prime time special in December on a yet-to-be disclosed network.

Here is the tentative track list for "The Dana Owens Album":

"Baby Get Lost" 
"California Dreaming" 
"Mercy Mercy Mercy" 
"Simply Beautiful" (featuring Al Green) 
"I Put a Spell On You" (featuring Herbie Hancock) 
"Close Your Eyes" 
"Moody's Mood for Love" (featuring James Moody) 
"Hard Times" 
"If I Had You" 
"Same Love That Made Me Laugh" 
"Lush Life"

 

 

 

Kelis Shakes Things Up In England

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 24, 2004) *Her milkshake brought all the fans to the tent but hold up – they couldn’t get in. Kelis was performing in one of the tents at England’s annual V Festival in Chelmsford Saturday when all hell broke loose outside.  Fans angry with the security guards keeping them out began rioting, while a fight inside the tent, which was filled to capacity, caused one concertgoer to need medical attention.  World Entertainment News Network quotes a witness saying:  "There were a lot of disappointed fans making a scene. They wouldn't accept that there was no room for them and continued to rant and push in a bid to sneak inside. Suddenly there was blood everywhere and one guy had to be carried out on a stretcher. It was quite a sight and unheard of for that sort of madness to break out at a Kelis show."  Join EUR at the 16th Annual Los Angeles Black Business Expo and Trade Show, Sept 10-12, 2004 at the L.A. Convention Center. For details visit www.expoupdate.com.  The bushy-haired singer, who is engaged to Nas, finished out the rest of her set before hitting an afterparty in London.

 

 

 

Veteran Hit Maker Eddie Thomas Back On The Scene

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 24, 2004) August 20, 2004 – Hit Maker Eddie Thomas, award winning music promoter and producer is back on the block with two new CDs: "I Won’t Be Lonely Anymore" by the smooth jazz ensemble The E.T.Group, and "It’s All Right," a collection of moving inspirational songs by Maurice’ (and the ET Group) both available now and featured on Apple’s iTunes and other major music download websites.  Long before P-Diddy, Suge Knight, and Snoop Dogg, there was Eddie T. His collaborations with the legendary Curtis Mayfield (1942 to 1999) and the Impressions, produced a string of classic 60’s and 70’s Soul / R&B hits such as Gypsy Woman, For Your Precious Love, Keep On Pushin, and ultimately the cutting edge soundtrack that started the whole “Gangsta Rap” music culture, Super Fly.  The raw lyrics touted exploits of an urban ghetto “hero” whose flamboyant lifestyle of violence, money, fancy cars, drugs and “bad bitches” formed the genesis of today’s Gangsta Rap music. It was highly controversial when the movie was released in the 1972 Black Power and Affirmative Action era. The movie and soundtrack, was a national phenomenon in the black community and spawned an entire genre of films.  “Controversy aside, you’ve got to admit, Rap has accomplished in a few short years what civil rights never could, to unite our young people, of all colours, world wide,” says Thomas.  Other artists Eddie has worked with are also music icons, including: Barry White, Bee Gees, Quincy Jones, Lakeside, The Independents and many others. During the Disco years, Eddie founded The Dogs of War, a professional association of 300 of the most popular club DJ’s in the Midwest.  “Record companies would give us their new releases. We would introduce them in the clubs as new dance music which would create public demand to hear them on the radio,” Thomas says.

But why get back into the game after 30 years?  “I had to stop for several years to care for my first wife, Audrey who died of cancer in 1996. But I’ve been keeping up. The music is coming back, and I still have something to say, musically,” says Thomas. His new wife and co-producer Verlene agrees, “He’s active and extremely vibrant for a 72 year old. “I can’t hardly keep up with him.”  The two are producing brand new music and have garnered some of the best talent in the business; Mike Logan (pianist/arranger), Khari Parker (Drums), Lamar Jones (Bass), Gerey Johnson (guitar) and John Cocoran (Flute) have played with the likes of Michael and Janet Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Ramsey Lewis and Nick Colionne. Singer/songwriter Maurice’ was a member of the hit group The Independents (Leaving Me).  From Doo-Wop to Hip Hop, from Disco to Digital, “old dog” Eddie Thomas has some “new tricks” of his own, to keep his music alive.  For product, interviews or more information, contact: J.A.Smith / Thomas Productions / 773-792-8200 / et31@comcast.net

 

 

 

::CD RELEASES::

 

 

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS Greatest Hits (Rhino)
KEITH SWEAT The Best of Keith Sweat: The Video Collection (Rhino)
KELLY R Happy People/U Saved Me (Zomba)
MASE Welcome Back (Bad Boy)
RAY CHARLES OST Ray! (Rhino)
RAY CHARLES OST Ray! (Rhino)
RAY ROBINSON What It Is (Soulclap)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Soul To Soul (MVA)

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

JILL SCOTT Beautifully Human (Sony)
LL COOL J The DEFinition (Def Jam)

 

 

 

::FILM NEWS::

 

 

Oscar Winners Up Glitz Factor

Excerpt from The Toronto Star -  Peter Howell, Movie Critic

(Aug. 24, 2004) Sean Penn and Charlize Theron, the respective Best Actor and Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards, are coming to next month's Toronto International Film Festival.  The Oscar duo lead a stampede of stars confirmed yesterday as guests at the annual glitterfest (Sept. 9-18), with more big names to be announced today at a special 11:30 a.m. press conference in Nathan Phillips Square.  The presence of both Penn and Theron is a coup for Toronto — especially since Theron is skipping the Montreal festival, where her new film is receiving its world premiere.  They're coming here to support period dramas that are already attracting buzz for the next Academy Awards: Penn for The Assassination Of Richard Nixon, which is set in the turbulent 1970s; Theron for Head In The Clouds, a romance set just before World War II and co-starring Theron's current boyfriend Stuart Townsend.  The camera-shy Penn rarely attends film festivals, even though his work as both actor and director has been prominently featured at the Toronto event, as both Gala and Special Presentation screenings. He was a no-show for last year's 21 Grams, for The Weight Of Water in 2000 and for Sweet And Lowdown in 1999. He did accompany his actress wife Robin Wright Penn up the Roy Thomson Hall red carpet for the 2002 Gala premiere of White Oleander, but he hasn't represented his own work here since his directorial debut with The Crossing Guard in 1995.  Theron has also been scarce at the Toronto fest — she was last here for The Cider House Rules in 1999. Her presence here next month to promote Head In The Clouds is all the more unusual in that she's bypassing Montreal's festival, which begins Thursday and runs through Sept. 6.  Head In The Clouds was filmed and produced in Montreal, and it receives its world premiere there next Monday, screening out of competition.  Montreal festival spokesperson David Novek confirmed Theron wouldn't be showing up for the premiere, but director John Duigan will and possibly Penélope Cruz, another of Theron's co-stars.  "Charlize Theron is not coming to Montreal," Novek said yesterday. "The director is coming and possibly Penélope Cruz but we'll only know about this one by tomorrow."  Toronto festival co-director Noah Cowan said the presence of Penn and Theron, along with hundreds of other stars and directors, confirms the festival's international reputation as the launch pad for award-winning movies and talent.  "It's great to have last year's Oscar winners with us," Cowan said, referring to Penn's and Theron's wins for the 2003 movie year.  "We're even more proud to have this year's winners with us, and we think we'll have most of them."  Cowan's boast is no idle one, judging by the long the list of talent coming to Toronto for the festival.  Besides Penn and Theron, the actors scheduled to visit include Maria Bello, Annette Bening, Orlando Bloom, Benjamin Bratt, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Maggie Cheung, Chris Cooper, Jeff Daniels, Mos Def, Taye Diggs, Matt Dillon, Jamie Foxx, Brendan Fraser, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Gross, Dustin Hoffman, Jeremy Irons, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Laura Linney, Ziggy Marley, Tom McCamus, Liam Neeson, Nick Nolte, Michael Ondaatje, Bill Paxton, Gordon Pinsent, Sarah Polley, Peter Sarsgaard, Jason Schwartzman, Pete Seeger, Hilary Swank, Mark Wahlberg and Sigourney Weaver, plus many more.  The directors expected to visit include Chantel Akerman, Olivier Assayas, Catherine Breillat, Ken Burns, Bill Condon, Claire Denis, Terry Gilliam, Taylor Hackford, Benoît Jacquot, Guy Maddin, Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Alexander Payne, Patricia Rozema, David O. Russell, John Sayles, István Szabó and Zhang Yimou, plus many more.  More names are to be announced this morning at the final pre-festival press conference, which is being held in Nathan Phillips Square for the first time. The festival is expected to announce a larger-than-usual number of world premieres, and Cowan said it's all due to the support Toronto movie lovers have shown to films from around the globe. Hence the choice of Toronto's most public square for the final declaration before the fest.  "As we prepare to announce the incredible number of world premieres and the extraordinary list of films, it has become increasingly clear to us that the Toronto International Film Festival has the Toronto audience to thank. And this is a chance for us to do so publicly," Cowan said.

 

 

 

Film Tidbits

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

Brandy, Richie on 'American Dreams'

Meanwhile, Snow just started production on the third season of NBC’s “American Dreams,” and says the September 26 season premiere will feature Brandy as Gladys Knight, singing "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Nicole Richie will appear the following week as a member of the Exciters, singing "Tell Him."

Vin Diesel Tries Comedy

(Aug. 19, 2004) *Can Vin Diesel be funny? The folks behind the upcoming film “The Pacifier” are banking on the comedic talents of their recently-cast action star.  "Actually, he was really good,” “American Dreams” actress and Diesel’s co-star Brittany Snow told MTV. "He played exactly what you would think and he's really hilarious. I think a lot of people will like it because he's dealing out of his norm, he's dealing with babies and a hormonal teenager who tries to kick his butt. It's really funny."  In “The Pacifier,” Diesel plays an undercover agent who, after failing to protect an important government scientist, attempts to redeem himself by watching over his family.

Paula Jai Parker Keeps Busy

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)

The Cleveland, Ohio actress just snagged the role of Rose, in the forthcoming HBO movie “My Life In Idlewild,” directed by video lens-man Bryan Barber and starring OutKast. Ms. Parker, who punched things up in comedies such as “Sprung,” and “Woo,” has a list of recent acting credits that include more serious fare such as Spike Lee’s latest, “She Hate Me,” Vanessa Middleton’s directorial debut, “30 Years To Life,” and the Joel Schumacher hit “Phone Booth.” According to her rep, the 33-year-old beauty is also currently in production of the feature film version of Disney’s wildly popular animated series “The Proud Family,” playing the voice of Trudy Proud.  One of the hardest working actresses in Hollywood, Ms. Parker just finished filming John Singleton’s newest flick, “Hustle and Flow.” On the set of the low-budget movie, which stars Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris, Isaac Hayes and rap group Three 6 Mafia, actor Anthony Anderson was arrested and charged with aggravated rape of an unidentified woman in his trailer. What a mess. Nevertheless, Ms. Parker is undeterred. Her varied career already spans more than 20 movies and 10 television series including the Emmy Award-winning series “NYPD Blue” and FX Television’s “The Shield.” It is evident that she has a great agent. The Howard University alum also earned a CableACE Award in 1994 as Best Actress in a Dramatic Special or Series for her work on the HBO anthology special “Cosmic Slop.”  She is definitely doing it!

Crouching Tiger Actress To Star As Geisha Girl

Source:  Associated Press

(August 23, 2004) Los Angeles -- After long years of development and some tricky Hollywood deal making, a movie version of the best-selling novel Memoirs of a Geisha is headed into production. The book became a sensation around the world when it was first published in 1997. The story chronicles a young girl's rise from poverty in a Japanese fishing village to life in high society. The lead role of Sayuri will go to Zhang Ziyi, the Chinese actress who starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and appeared in the comedy Rush Hour 2, her publicist said Thursday. Zhang, 25, has been working to perfect her English for several years. Geisha will be directed by Rob Marshall, the Oscar-nominated director of Chicago.

DeGeneres Ascends To Deity Role In Oh, God! Remake

Excerpt from The Toronto Star

(Aug. 23, 2004) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres is getting a promotion — to supreme being.  DeGeneres will star as God in a remake of the 1977 comedy Oh, God! The original starred George Burns as the creator and John Denver as a supermarket manager tapped as a new prophet.  "Ellen is a strong comedian and she has always done material about God and questions about God," said Jerry Weintraub, who produced the original movie and also will oversee the remake.  Weintraub said he'll hire a screenwriter and director with the aim to shoot the movie during a break in DeGeneres' schedule from her talk show next summer.  Though successful on the small screen, DeGeneres misfired in an earlier transition to film with the romantic-comedy flop Mr. Wrong. She helped score a hit with her voice work on last year's animated tale Finding Nemo.

  

 

 

Morris Won't Be Showing Any Chest

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Marie Moore

(Aug. 25, 2004) Morris Chestnut, who plays a financial honcho in “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid,” got along quite well with the film’s director until he told him to take his shirt off. With his career rapidly rising, Chestnut wants to be taken seriously.  “Well, almost every movie I do they want me to take my shirt off and I don’t like to, you know what I’m saying? I don’t want to do it just for the purpose of taking my shirt off,” Chestnut chides. “And so there was an opportunity in this movie that he (director Dwight Little) wanted me to do it and I just wasn't going to do it, and I didn't do it. But it was give and take. I hated the ending but he wouldn’t budge on that.”  Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez starred in the 1997 prequel, “Anaconda.” In jest, I inquired if he had gotten any snake tips from Cube.  “Nah,” he laughed, “I looked at the movie and there’s no way [I would’ve done that] because they had real snakes there and I’m afraid of snakes. So I couldn’t have done that.”  Admitting that he might possibly be the most well-know actor in the film, Chestnut didn’t feel pressured to carry the weight.  “The snake is the star, you know,” Chestnut said.  Celebrity does have it drawbacks, but Chestnut deals with it sensibly. It is the unexpected occurrences that test him most.  “When you're not prepared to be recognized and then there are people coming up asking [for autographs], then that’s when it gets more challenging.” And what’s even more daring is when a group approaches him and one in the group says, “’Who’s that?’ “You know what I’m saying,” he quips.  “They don’t even know you and then they want your autograph. It’s like ‘Give me your autograph for my daughter!’ And after you sign your signature, right, they say, ‘So what’s your name again?’ But then you have to be receptive and accessible to everybody. You can’t be rude.  “But it would really be OK with me if I was not recognized. People come into the industry for different things. I’m in this industry because I like the work and I really love the lifestyle that I can live from it. The fame part of it really has zero interest to me.”

 

 

 

Darin Flick Has Spacey Back In Town

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Martin Knelman

(Aug. 24, 2004) Kevin Spacey is on his way to the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of Beyond The Sea, the Star has learned. Spacey is both the star and director of the $25 million (U.S.) movie about the doomed singer and actor Bobby Darin.  The festival will announce today that it has snared the world premiere of Spacey's movie, one of the most keenly awaited of the Hollywood fall releases.  The festival is putting it in a coveted first-Saturday gala slot on Sept. 11. And Spacey, who not only stars in the movie but also produced and directed it and had a hand in the script, is certain to be one of the highest-profile guests at this year's festival.  In fact, Spacey will not only introduce the movie and lend glitter to the evening, he will also stay in town long enough to participate in an intimate Talent Lab industry workshop. In that program, a small group of talented young film professionals get to work with accomplished mentors, including Spacey.  For Spacey, the making of this movie has been an obsession for several years — and the film did not come together without a great deal of trouble and controversy. Spacey was a child in the 1960s when Darin made his mark as a singer, a movie actor and the husband of Sandra Dee. He discovered Darin through his parents' record collection.  Darin, who had heart problems throughout his life after a childhood attack of rheumatic fever, died in 1973. And though much of the world may have forgotten who he was, Spacey never did. Finally in 2000, he was able to buy the film rights to the story.  One detail that sceptics keep mentioning is the question of Spacey's age. At 45, is he too old to be persuasive as a pop icon who was 37 when he died, and closer to 25 when many of the key events portrayed in the movie took place?  Another problem: Are there enough people around who remember Bobby Darin and will care enough to make this a hit?  These doubts help explain why the financing for the movie seemed to fall apart just before shooting was to begin. Somehow, Spacey managed to get the picture refinanced through European backers, which is why it was shot in Germany.  And finally there is the matter of whose voice would be heard on the soundtrack, singing such songs as "Mack The Knife," which is most closely associated with Darin.  Darin's manager, Steve Blauner, is still on the scene protecting the interests of his deceased client. Darin's son, Dodd Darin, and his former wife, Sandra Dee (played in the movie by Kate Bosworth), also have strong views on how the material should be treated.  At first Blauner was adamant that no singing voice except Darin's could be used in the film. But eventually Blauner, who is portrayed on screen by John Goodman, relented and allowed Spacey to do the singing.  Because of his frailty, Darin had a pampered childhood. Knowing his time was limited, Darin set a goal of reaching the top in show business by age 25 — which he did. His rise began when, at age 22, he sang "Splish Splash" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The song sold more than a million copies.  One year later, Darin won a Grammy award for his version of "Mack The Knife," which held the No. 1 spot on the charts for nine weeks. It is a song that has been recorded by many legendary performers — Lotte Lenya, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald — but Darin's "Mack" is still the one most people remember.

Hollywood called, and Darin found himself acting opposite Sandra Dee in fluffy movies such as That Funny Feeling. When they married, she was only 18; he was an old guy of 24. Not surprisingly, it was a troubled relationship that ended in divorce in 1967.  Four years later Darin had the heart surgery that signalled the beginning of the end.  Another interesting fact about Darin's life that makes for Hollywood drama: The woman who raised him was actually his sister.  Spacey, who recently took over as artistic director of London's revered Old Vic Theatre, has not had a movie hit since winning the Academy Award five years ago for American Beauty.  He needs one now, and Lions Gate is betting that this will be the one.  Possibly the most striking sign of Spacey's commitment to the role is that before the movie opens in theatres in late November, Spacey will go on the road for a 12-city concert tour. With the help of a 19-piece band, he will be belting out the songs that made Bobby Darin a pop legend.  No one could accuse Spacey of being afraid to take chances.

 

 

 

Petrie Put Mark On Hollywood

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By James Adams

(Aug. 25, 2004 ) One of Hollywood's most versatile directors, Canadian-born Daniel Petrie Sr., has died at his home in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 83. Petrie, a native of Glace Bay, N.S., had a wide-ranging career, helming at least a dozen feature films, numerous episodes of series television, as well as movies-of-the-week, miniseries and specials, the last category earning him three Emmy Awards. Petrie also was active in the Directors Guild of America, most notably as chair of its negotiating committee in 1999, and served in various capacities at the American Film Institute Center for Advanced Film Studies.  Petrie originally planned to be a teacher and received a BA in communications in 1942 from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. However, he decided to join the Canadian Army and, after the Second World War, he went to Columbia University in New York where he got an MA financed in part through the G.I. Bill of Rights. He got his first taste of show business in the late 1940s when a chance meeting with a Broadway producer resulted in his being cast opposite Richard Widmark and Judy Holiday in the stage production of Kiss Them for Me. Thinking the actor's life was too risky, Petrie returned to academe, earning a PhD at Northwestern University in Illinois and becoming chair of the speech, radio and TV department at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. A stint directing a television show featuring author-broadcaster-raconteur Studs Terkel in Chicago, however, brought him back to show biz. By the early fifties Petrie was an active participant in New York's live-for-TV-drama world, directing the likes of Richard Burton and Paul Newman.

He made his first feature film, The Bramble Bush, in 1960 and the next year garnered international acclaim for his direction of A Raisin in the Sun starring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. Throughout the sixties and seventies he alternated between film and television. He directed episodes of such well-regarded series as The Defenders, The Bold Ones, McMillan and Wife, Medical Center and Marcus Welby, M.D.. His film credits included Lifeguard, The Betsy, Cocoon: The Return, Fort Apache the Bronx and Rocket Gibraltar. In 1985 he made the movie best-known, perhaps, to Canadian audiences -- The Bay Boy, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Liv Ullmann. Based on his childhood years in Atlantic Canada, the film went on to win six Genie Awards, including ones for best movie and best screenplay (by Petrie). That same year, from a Toronto studio, Petrie directed The Execution of Raymond Graham, a rare live-to-air drama for ABC starring Morgan Freeman and Jeff Fahey, based on a true story about a family's attempts to save their son from death by lethal injection.  Petrie won his Emmys in 1976 and 1977 for directing, respectively, Eleanor and Franklin and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, both of which starred Jane Alexander and Edward Herrmann, and in 1992 for producing Mark Twain and Me. In 1977 three of the five programs nominated for Emmys as best specials in drama or comedy were directed by Petrie. Besides The White House Years they included Sybil, starring Sally Field, and Harry Truman: Plain Speaking, with Ed Flanders (who was voted best actor). Petrie also earned a total of 11 directing nominations from the Directors Guild over his long career, winning four trophies. Married for 57 years, Petrie and his wife, Dorothea, a producer in her own right, established a show-biz dynasty of sorts in Los Angeles. Son Donald has directed numerous TV shows and movies in the last 20 years, including Mystic Pizza, Grumpy Old Men, Welcome to Mooseport, Chicago Hope and Picket Fences while another son, Daniel Jr., is currently president of the Writers Guild of America West. His writing credits include Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy and Turner and Hooch. Daughters June Petrie and Mary Petrie also are active in the film business, the former as an executive, the last as an actor.

 

 

 

Aaron Eckhart Hero And Villain: Very Focused, Yet Flexible

Excerpt from The Toronto Star -  Peter Howell, Movie Critic

(Aug. 23, 2004) Ask almost any actor what type of role he most likes playing, and "villain" is almost always the answer.  The hero is great, but the villain is cool. Such reliable good guys as James Stewart and Robin Williams jumped at chances to be badasses, and regular idol Tom Cruise is currently burning up the screen as a killer for hire in Michael Mann's Collateral.  But colour Aaron Eckhart as the contrarian on this topic. He has played the hero and the villain, the latter most memorably as the misogynist Chad in his breakthrough 1997 film In The Company Of Men, and he prefers the light to the dark.  In his new movie Suspect Zero, a suspense thriller opening Friday, he's a bit of both.  "Bad guys can be pretty one-dimensional," the lanky Eckhart says, dressed in casual finery as he relaxes on a sofa during a Toronto hotel interview.  "The good guys are always troubled, but they have a good heart, so for me there's a little bit more leeway in where to go."  In E. Elias Merhige's Suspect Zero, Eckhart, 36, plays a good guy who is seriously troubled. He's FBI Agent Thomas Mackelway, who has a reputation of being something of a Dirty Harry in his dealings with evildoers. He's been involuntarily moved from Dallas to Albuquerque, N.M. to atone for having stridently violated the civil rights of a serial killer. Afflicted by constant migraines, he is haunted by thoughts of the past, bedevilled by a series of unexplained killings and tracked by two people who know his secrets and fears: his partner Fran Kulok (Carrie-Anne Moss) and a mysteriously motivated stranger named Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley).  Eckhart's screen character isn't happy about the situation he's in. But the actor is sure happy to have such a meaty role.  "(Mackelway) is fundamentally a good person who is interested in justice and wants to do right. But on the other hand, he's embroiled in a nightmare, so it gives me a lot to play. I think the audience is willing to go with you more in a role like this. In a bad-guy role, they're not willing to go with you so much.  "They make up their minds pretty quickly and then just leave you in that category of bad guy.'  Eckhart has been fortunate to avoid typecasting. In his previous film, last winter's Paycheck, he played an unalloyed scoundrel to Ben Affleck's saviour. But in the same year, Eckhart also got to play a dedicated scientist in The Core who had to figure out a way to get the Earth spinning properly again, lest it burn up in space.  You can't make yourself much more useful than that.  Read through the busy filmography of this still-rising star, the California-born son of a computer executive father and a children's author mother, and he seems to swap dispositions from one movie to the next — or more accurately, to mix both the good with the bad. He's got the perfect face for it: a Dudley Do-Right cleft chin and a Snidely Whiplash glint to his eye.  He was an unscrupulous cop against Jack Nicholson's dedicated detective in The Pledge; a scholarly book sleuth with Gwyneth Paltrow in Possession; a stay-at-home caregiver for Julia Roberts' kids in Erin Brockovich; a player for a struggling football squad in Any Given Sunday.  Eckhart has had a lot of screen time and a lot attention in the past seven years since he electrified both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals with his lead performance in In The Company Of Men, which was directed by his long-time friend and collaborator, Neil LaBute, whom he met when they studied film at Brigham Young University.  Eckhart's Company Of Men character Chad bets another man he can get a deaf woman to fall in love with him; the wager is as cold-blooded as they come.  The actor figures, indicating a slight sense of unease, that it's still the role he's best known for. 

"Nothing that I've done has really hit the way that movie hit. Not that everybody saw that movie, but I think with video and DVDs, more people have seen it. The character was just so strong and so well written that it's definitely been the thing that people most respond to. That, and Erin Brockovich.  "If somebody has something nice to say to me, they'll usually bring that movie up, and how that affected them and they'll tell me an experience about how it affected their relationship with somebody still today."  And what if they don't have something nice to say to him? Eckhart laughs at the question.  "Oh God," he laughs. "I've heard it all, including some things that really stopped me in my tracks. Just the mindlessness of people. I won't even get into it — why should I? — but it's funny. People can be cruel sometimes."  One thing no one can ever criticize Eckhart about is his work ethic. He believes in giving his all to a role, and for the role of Agent Mackelway, he spent much time with FBI agents, studying everything they do: from the way they load their guns to the way they comb their hair. This gives him the confidence to play opposite such screen stalwarts as Ben Kingsley, and to challenge them to work hard, too.  "I've worked with a lot of great actors. I always have a great respect and a great regard for them, and I always feel like I'd better be prepared. I feel intimidated, and I feel responsibility to do my best.  "But when I get on the set, it's anybody's game. They'd better be on their game, too, you know what I mean? Because I'm prepared. I'm doing what I need to do; I'm not a schmuck.  "I have the highest regard for Sir Ben Kingsley. He's a legend. All I wanted to do was learn from him, but when we're on that set, you gotta do what you gotta do. I always think I'm the star of the film. I always think the story revolves around my character, no matter how small it is, because that's the way you make movies."  Just don't call Eckhart a scene stealer.  "I'm not a scene stealer," he says with emphasis. "I'm acutely aware of what I'm doing. I try to be honest and real. I try to be there, and I don't like actors who are lazy. Because I work hard, and other people work hard to be there, so let's make the best of it.  "Sir Ben and I were both prepared for Suspect Zero and we came out and made some good scenes. That's something to be proud of. There are other movies that I've made where the actors weren't as prepared, and it wasn't incumbent on us to be great in the movies, and the movies sucked."  Eckhart's dedication extends to roles he doesn't even have yet. When he's told that Internet speculation has him a favoured pick to play symbol sleuth Robert Langdon in Ron Howard's coming adaptation of the best-selling thriller novel The Da Vinci Code, he jumps to the phone and pretends he's calling his agent.  "I want The Da Vinci Code NOW!" he shouts into the phone. He's joking, but he's also serious. It's his twin personalities coming through again.

 

 

 

::THEATRE NEWS::

 

 

Stage Royalty

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic

(Aug. 19, 2004) "People pleaser" is probably the last phrase you'd use to sum up Henry VIII, whose solution to any kind of disagreement was a swift beheading.  But that's exactly how Graham Abbey, currently in previews as the much-married monarch at the Stratford Festival, describes himself.  "I just want to make everybody happy. Call me boring, call me sucky, I can't help it. That's just what I'm like. Maybe it's the old college jock in me coming out; I've always been a team player."  Whatever his strategy is, it seems to be working, because few young actors have risen faster or further in the professional minefield known as Stratford than Abbey.  The boyishly handsome 33-year-old actor opens in the title role of King Henry VIII at the Festival Theatre this Sunday afternoon. He's also playing Macbeth this season, and his previous Stratford leads have included Romeo, Berowne, Henry V, Petruchio and D'Artagnan.  It's a career that's been so successful, it almost lets him forget his debut there at the age of 12.  That's when he played a beggar boy in John Hirsch's 1983 production of As You Like It, and was singled out to bang his head repeatedly against the famous pillar on the Festival Stage until he achieved the level of misery Hirsch was seeking.  "You don't forget something like that easily," he says softly. "Not with everyone in the company watching, including my idol, Nicky Pennell."  After a baptism like that, it's no wonder that Abbey can face the toughest of leading roles with equanimity. But then, all of his life has been a sort of boot camp for the mountainous parts he's now playing.  He was born in St. Catharines in 1971 and moved briefly to Toronto. His parents divorced in 1975 and their careers sent them in different directions. His father became a judge and was sent to Windsor. His mother was a consultant with the Board of Education and moved Abbey and his older sister to Stratford.  "I guess I was the man of the house since I was 4 years old," he says, a bit wistfully. "That was just who I was. Mom had full confidence in me. Growing up with a single working mother, you become independent fairly quickly."  Abbey loved being a young actor at Stratford, but things changed when he got to high school.  "I walked into the first day of drama class and it was full of freaky people doing breathing exercises. I ran the other way."

He set his sights on following his father's footsteps into a law career, and by his own admission "became a hardcore academic, going for the grades."  His face breaks into the preppy grin that serves as one of his most useful onstage weapons.  "I joke that my mom left home before I did. She got a job in Toronto and I lived alone in the house in Stratford during my last year in high school. But it wasn't party central. I was hitting the books pretty hard."  He entered Queen's University to study politics and remembers it as, "a gruelling program. One professor began the year by saying to us, `Look to your left, look to your right; one of you will not be here at Christmas.' Man, it was a weeder. We started with 100 people but, in the end, we graduated 25."  And although Abbey characterizes himself in college as "a study fiend. I had finished second in my class and had a scholarship to go to law school at Osgoode Hall," his love of theatre was starting to reassert itself.  "I played volleyball in my first two years at Queen's, but then I hurt my knees and so sports was out. I joined the Queen's Players and did their musicals. Got the love of it back."  So the young man was starting to feel severely conflicted. During a year he spent at Queen's Park as a legislative intern, he was also dashing out in the evenings and appearing in Hello, Dolly! with The Yorkminstrels.  Then, during the summer after his graduation, he suffered a skin cancer scare, and that got him thinking. "I don't ever want to look back on my life," he decided, "and say `What if I had really tried acting?'"  And so, with his room at Osgoode Hall already booked, he dropped out two weeks before he was supposed to start law school.  "My dad said to me something I've never forgotten. `You've got to get up in the morning and do something you love to do.'"  But for a while, things were tough for the former golden boy. "I couldn't even get an audition anywhere. I was working as a waiter in Tony Calzone's Wine Cellar for six bucks an hour, sharing a two-bedroom apartment with seven guys. I started to think, `What have I done?'"  Slowly, things turned around. He got his first professional job with Carousel Players, touring a kids' show.  "Man, that's a tough slog. An hour to set up the show, an hour to perform it, an hour to tear it down. Drive to the next city. Grab a bite to eat at a truck stop. Do the whole thing all over again. Two a day."  He laughingly recalls the piece was entitled Book Of The Dragon. "It was a musical about alcohol abuse and we'd drive up to all these tough high schools in our turquoise van and sing, `Oh, don't drink!' They laughed at us a lot."  A sympathetic agent named Peter Maguire knew Abbey wanted to perform Shakespeare and put him in touch with John Wood (his director in this summer's Stratford Macbeth).  Wood cast him in an Oakville production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Stratford artistic director Richard Monette came to see Abbey's performance.  That was 1996. The next season, he was at the Festival, playing Hap Loman opposite Al Waxman in Death Of A Salesman; he hasn't looked back since.  His most powerful Stratford memory to date has been performing in the title role of Henry V on the night of 9/11. He asked to make a speech to the audience after the performance of the play filled with the carnage of war was over.  He said "Shakespeare wrote that we're supposed to hold a mirror up to nature. Some nights it's harder to do than others, but thank God we could be here for each other tonight."  As for his current assignment, Abbey admits that "when people mention Henry VIII, everybody thinks of this big roly-poly guy, but it's more like the story of Elvis Presley. He started out as a dashing guy but ... well, we all know how he wound up."

Without giving too much away, Abbey reveals that "I'm not going to take it down the road of putting on a fat suit and munching on a chicken leg. That much I know."  Abbey doesn't think too much about his future. "I take it one year at a time and see where it goes. I don't tend to be a guy who looks far ahead."  But he eagerly concedes that he's happy enough where he is.  "People say Shakespeare is the hardest thing you can do, but I disagree. The writing is such a gift, it's so wonderful. It's a constant struggle to be good enough and I am always being humbled in the face of this work."  But still, he feels right at home.  "This is the city I grew up in. I graduated from high school on that stage. I've been hanging around there for almost 25 years. I remember lying on the stage when I was a kid, just looking up at all those lights. This is home."  And best of all, he doesn't have to bang his head on a pillar to prove it.

 

 

 

Whoopi Goldberg Returns To Broadway Roots

Source: Canadian Press

(Aug 25, 2004) NEW YORK (AP) - Whoopi Goldberg (news) is returning to Broadway in the show that jump-started her career 20 years ago.  Goldberg opens Nov. 17 at the Lyceum Theatre, the same house where her one-woman show premiered in October 1984, it was announced Tuesday. The original show ran for 156 performances. Since then, the actress-comedian has appeared on Broadway in the revivals of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.  She won a supporting actress Oscar in 1991 for Ghost. Her movies also include The Color Purple and the Sister Act films.  Preview performances begin Nov. 6. Goldberg will try out her show in Philadelphia, playing a week's engagement at the Merriam Theatre starting Oct. 13.

 

 

 

Hazelle Goodman -- HERE and Now

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)

(Aug. 19, 2004) Earlier in the week, while she was shopping at a health food store in the Fresh Meadows section of Queens, NY, I phoned her to play a quick game of Free Association and get her views on some current affairs.  “You blowing up my cell phone minutes, boo,” she quipped on the other end. “So make this quick!”  Ms. Goodman, the stage and screen actress, is currently knocking them dead in her latest incarnation of the critically-acclaimed one-woman show “On Edge,” which is playing at the downtown New York City performance space, HERE Arts Center, throughout the month of August.  In the show, which just clocks close to an hour and a half, Ms. Goodman brings to life over twelve colourful characters ranging from a ghetto girl discovering the benefits of Feng Shui (Feng Shay) to a ditzy blonde with a penchant for Black men and staying physically fit (“Confessions Of A Health Nut”).  In one uproarious scene, the dreadlocked-clad thespian recreates a low-brow talk show (“Today’s Woman”) where two Latina siblings bicker over one’s abusive derelict of a boyfriend. Elsewhere in the tour-de-force, she embodies the spirit of a condescending old Jewish woman who dishes the dirt about relationships while at a nail salon (“White Woman”). One of my favourite acts is Ms. Goodman playing a Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice-loving Black Republican trying to empower a flock during her Get Out Of The Ghetto rally (“Janet Wannabee”). It’s pure genius.

“Life,” she explains, ”I get my inspiration from paying close attention to what's going on around me and keeping my ear to the curb -- in short, minding folks' business.”  “This newest production of ‘On Edge’ came when I took a break and really asked myself what do I want to say? How do I want to impact people? How can I make a difference?” she continues. “It also came out of my own frustration with our current political state, the sellout on love for lust, etc.”  Some Free Association results -- President Bush (“Duh!”), Colin Powell (“Help”), Iraq (“Let’s bring the boys home”).  “Injustice puts me on edge,” she continues, “racial crimes, gay bashing, infidelity in love. Chile that's enough!”  The Trinidadian comic chameleon is an award-nominated funny-woman who lays claim to having her very own HBO special – dating back to 1995. The doting mother of a teenage aspiring actor made her film debut seven years ago playing a hooker named Cookie in Woody Allen’s “Deconstructing Harry.” She also has added her flavour to non-comical roles, in films such as “Hannibal,” and in the critically-acclaimed play, “The Vagina Monologues.”  Outside of acting, the self-described Diva In Motion also volunteers at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Upstate New York where she heads up an arts program. “I love inspiring people to live their dreams,” she says. “My work with the inmates really excites me because I get to bring love and hope to women who may never get a second chance to walk free.”  “I have a writing workshop, "Journey Within," where through their writing they can boldly stand in the present, forgive the past and create a new future.”  Work!

Other humanitarian efforts include a lifelong scholarship in slain African immigrant Amadaou Diallo’s name at her alma mater City College of New York. In the most emotive act in the show, she brings the sombre spirit of Diallo’s mother in the wake of her son’s untimely and unnecessary death at the hands of the New York Police Department.  Still making inroads to Broadway like other successful one woman dynamos Whoopi Goldberg, Elaine Stritch and Sandra Bernhard, she describes the producers at HERE as an “actor’s dream.”  The name of the show is called “On Edge” for a reason. She has this uncanny ability to dig deep into the complexities of the human spirit with a grace and humour that leaves members of the audience moved and inspired. “I think people come to see me because they're being touched and they spread the word,” she says, adding that “sell out audiences are great but whether there's one person or one thousand I'm always gonna give my all!”  Spoken like a true pro.  Don’t walk … run to see this show!!!  (212) 868-4444, www.here.org

 

 

 

Munro Is Tops On Amazon Book List

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Sandra Martin

(Aug. 24, 2004 ) They won't be playing O Canada or wearing crowns of laurel leaves, but Alice Munro is leading a phalanx of writers to the virtual podium today as Amazon.ca unveils its list of the 50 Canadian Essential Books of all time.  Munro wins the gold with For the Love of a Good Woman, her 1998 collection pf short stories, which won the Giller and Trillium prizes in Canada and the National Book Critics Prize in the United States. Joining her in second and third places are Mordecai Richler's St. Urbain's Horseman and Mavis Gallant's Selected Stories. All three books were first published by McClelland and Stewart. "Our customers love lists," explained Amazon.ca's book editor Tom Nissley in an interview yesterday. "We love lists too," he admitted, acknowledging that there are lots of supplementary lists on the site, from books that sadly are out of print to essential graphic novels and books that you must read before turning 25. Nissley compiled the essential books list by polling regular Amazon.ca reviewers and combining their suggestions with his own personal favourites. "I think Munro would be hurt in a poll," he said. "Nobody can agree on what her best book is and that would split the votes." Nissley was the one who gave the nod to Good Woman. "The thing I love about her is that she keeps going back to the same places and the same things, but she keeps getting better and writing more complex stories." In reviewing Good Woman for The Globe in 1998, English novelist A. S. Byatt said Munro's stories are "extraordinary" because they "contain whole lives (which should have taken whole novels) in the brief space of tales." Byatt, who is herself no slouch at literary craft, commended Munro for her "skill and daring with technical matters like time-shifts and narrative point of view," saying that they are "so complete that they are not always immediately remarkable." Readers can judge for themselves when Runaway, Munro's new book, is released by M&S next month. The triumvirate of Munro, Richler and Gallant is hardly a shock. What is surprising on the multi-form list, which includes non-fiction and children's books as well as novels, fiction and short stories, are the other top-10 choices. L.M. Montgomery is there in 4th place but for Emily of New Moon, not the ubiquitous Anne of Green Gables. Nissley says that "Anne would have won a poll, but my reviewers were so enthusiastic about Emily that I decided to give it to her." Other big surprises include Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ranking 17th, compared to say Norman Levine's Canada Made Me just below the top-10 cutoff and P. K. Page's Planet Earth in ninth spot. The Game by Ken Dryden, at number 5, has edged out Neuromancer by William Gibson, The Wars by Timothy Findley and The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, edited by Katherine Barber. Nissley said sales didn't play a role in where books placed in the idiosyncratic competition. A case in point must be Yann Martel's Life of Pi, which ranks in 46th spot, way below historian W. J. Eccles's Frontenac: The Courtier Governor at number 27. Essential books follows the release of the top 50 music titles on Aug. 10 and DVDs last Tuesday. Mon Oncle Antoine, the late Claude Jutras's poetic vision of a young boy's coming of age in 1940s Quebec, took the film title while Music from Big Pink earned the nod as top CD.

 

 

 

Vegas Gambles On Musicals

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Don Shirley, Special To The Star - The Los Angeles Times

(Aug. 19, 2004) "They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway," goes the George Benson song. But "they" apparently never saw Las Vegas.  Not only are The Strip's lights brighter than those of the Great White Way, but its marquees might soon look as if they're actually near Times Square, judging from the Broadway-style fare that is gradually invading Las Vegas.  The producers of Avenue Q won Broadway's Tony Award for best musical in June and then announced their show would open its only other production in Vegas, skipping a national tour.  A few days later came word The Phantom Of The Opera would open a permanent production in a theatre carved out of the Venetian Hotel on The Strip.  Already up and running for more than a year is Mamma Mia! — at its full Broadway length instead of the 90 minutes that has been the custom for most shows in Las Vegas. An open-ended run of the Broadway version of Saturday Night Fever is also on The Strip.  And beginning previews this week is We Will Rock You, a hit London musical with a score made up of Queen songs. It's bypassing Broadway for now and going straight to Las Vegas for its U.S. premiere.  This incipient Broadway beachhead in Vegas could raise several challenges to competitors on both sides of the country. In Las Vegas itself, Broadway shows with professional but relatively unknown actors might deliver more bang for the buck to the hotels than expensive pop stars do. And Broadway musicals present an alternative to the Cirque du Soleil empire that is about to mount its fourth permanent show in Las Vegas, with a fifth possibly waiting in the wings.  East Coast snobs might shudder at the idea that an imitation Broadway could be born in the desert. But the reality is that for years both Broadway and The Strip have thrived primarily on tourists. Each city — New York and Las Vegas — drew slightly more than 35 million visitors last year. Las Vegas statisticians calculate that the average tourist spent $37.82 (all figures U.S.) to see some kind of show. It's true that most of those productions are not fonts of intellectual stimulation — but then neither is much of what's playing on Broadway.  The most unexpected of the Broadway entries in the Vegas sweepstakes is Avenue Q. Featuring puppets as well as actors, it offers a topless flash — but only on a puppet. And its themes are far removed from Vegas glitz. Its young, financially struggling characters would not be likely to vacation amid the slot machines. Sample song titles: "It Sucks to Be Me," "If You Were Gay," "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist."  But Steve Wynn, the Vegas hotel mogul who earlier arranged for the itinerant Cirque du Soleil to park permanently in the desert and also opened the Bellagio resort with a gallery of fine art worth $300 million, saw Avenue Q three times in New York. He decided he wanted it as part of his new $2.5 billion Vegas resort, the Wynn Las Vegas, alongside a new water spectacle from a former Cirque du Soleil talent, Franco Dragone.  "Ten million dollars' worth of hydraulics cannot accomplish what Marcel Marceau can do," Wynn says, explaining his eclectic theatrical tastes. "I wanted a counterpoint, a sample of Marcel Marceau, to use a metaphor. Las Vegas has to develop theatre at its core, at its most fundamental. It's what separates us from the Indian casinos."  Avenue Q co-producer Kevin McCollum says a regular tour had been planned for the show, but it posed problems. Because the costs of moving from city to city would require the greater revenue potential of huge theatres, the musical would play in venues that would overwhelm such an intimate show. And it would require extensive advertising to identify itself: Unlike recent Tony winners Hairspray and The Producers, it's not based on a familiar source.  The producers were miffed at requests from some of the presenters for bowdlerization of the show's lyrics as well as what McCollum felt were insufficient financial guarantees.  The Phantom Of The Opera in its run has grossed $3.2 billion and has been turned into a movie with an expected release this year. Even so, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his producing partner, Clear Channel Entertainment, are convinced it has enough theatrical life left in it to warrant a $35 million production in a new $30 million theatre at the Venetian in Vegas.  Still, the show will get a makeover. About an hour will be nipped to make it fit the usual Vegas length of 90 minutes with no intermission. With many Vegas visitors staying only two days, says Scott Zeiger, Clear Channel theatrical chief executive, "the hotels are not interested in keeping them captivated inside the theatre" when casinos, restaurants, spas and shops also want to raid wallets.  The new We Will Rock You uses the Mamma Mia! formula of combining a story with a pop group's song catalogue. But the hero of Ben Elton's book is a young male rebel 300 years in the future, and the stadium-filling music of Queen means a somewhat more male-skewed appeal than that of Mamma Mia!  We Will Rock You is a creation of Tribeca Productions, better known for its movies and its co-founder, Robert De Niro. The show opened on the West End in 2002 to mostly discouraging reviews, but they didn't seem to matter — it's still playing there and is spreading around the world.  Bobby Yee, president of Paris Las Vegas, where We Will Rock You will be presented in a 1,450-seat hall with six huge plasma screens, notes that the hall's previous Broadway-style occupant, Notre Dame De Paris, didn't do well. Yee wasn't there at the time, but the accepted explanation for its failure, he says, was its downbeat ending.  Avenue Q may be the biggest test yet to see if the traditional notion of the Las Vegas audience is going to change.  "Las Vegas is going to become very, very edgy in the performing arts," Wynn says. "Thank God — it's about time." 

 

 

 

::TV NEWS::

 

 

New Shows at TORONTO 1

The Tony Danza Show

Throughout his career, he has created many memorable characters that people can relate to and has become the symbol of the typical ‘man’s man’ that women love. His warm and genuine attitude, social skills and one of a kind personality has enabled him to develop a strong interaction and connection with his audience. Given his success, he demonstrates uncommon humility and sees himself as simply a regular guy. Now, he's entering the world of daytime television with The Tony Danza Show, a new talk show blending celebrity interviews, human interest stories, cooking and audience participation. Guests will include actors, athletes, news-makers, and real people with interesting stories to tell. Tony will also highlight incredible kids, and get into the kitchen to cook some of his own favourite family recipes.  This show will occasionally extend beyond the studio, as Tony Danza gets up close and personal with people who are making a difference in our culture or just to have a little fun. The combination of Tony Danza’s knowledge of current affairs and pop issues, his individuality in addition to his unique flair for entertaining an audience will no doubt make this talk show a success. TORONTO 1 is proud to bring its viewers The Tony Danza Show: a familiar face, in a brand new place.

Premiers: September 13th, 2004
Airing: Weekdays at 10:00AM

Biography ~ Tony Danza
 
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Danza received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in History Education.  Discovered at a boxing gymnasium in New York, Danza was ultimately cast in the critically acclaimed series Taxi, earning him a place in television history.   He followed with a starring role in the ABC comedy series Who's the Boss? which ran for eight seasons; Danza directed several episodes. His recent television experience includes a role as attorney Joe Celano on the CBS dramatic series Family Law opposite a stellar ensemble cast including Kathleen Quinlan, Chris McDonald and Dixie Carter. Danza received an Emmy nomination for his performance on David E. Kelley's award-winning series The Practice.  His small-screen credits include a performance opposite George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon in Showtime's remake of the film classic 12 Angry Men. Danza was seen in the Disney/ABC television movies The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon and Noah, and starred in and executive produced the ABC comedy series Hudson Street and NBC's "The Tony Danza Show."  He hosted the 2001 Miss America Pageant, and the 2003 People's Choice Awards for national television.  Via his production company, Katie Face Productions, Danza is actively involved in all forms of television, including production of the highly rated Before They Were Stars specials.
 
On the big screen, Danza starred in Walt Disney's Angels in the Outfield with Danny Glover, She's Out Of Control, and Frank Rainore's action-drama A Brooklyn State of Mind with Vincent Spano, Danny Aiello and Maria Grazia Cucinotta, among other projects. Danza wrote, directed and starred in the short film inspired by personal events entitled Mama Mia. For his theatrical debut in Wrong Turn at Lungfish, he earned an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination.  On stage, Danza received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Rocky the bartender in the Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh opposite Kevin Spacey in its return to Broadway at the Brook Atkinson Theater. He made his Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play A View From The Bridge.  Danza spent much of the last eight years touring with his live act, most recently showcasing the newest version of his song and dance show with stops in New York, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Las Vegas, California and Florida among other locations.
 
He released his debut album The House I Live In last year. It includes his well-received single of the same name, which Billboard Magazine named as the adult contemporary pick of the week.  The album includes Danza's versions of many of the classics with which he grew up, including  That's All, Pennies from Heaven, Goodnight My Love, I'll Be Seeing You and a compelling version of Little Child (Daddy Dear), sung with his daughter Emily.


She Spies
 
Every so often, a sophisticated crime fighting team emerges on television. One that is specially trained in criminal intelligence, covert operations, and that was born with a passion for upholding the law. This is not one of those teams.  She-Spies revolves around three beautiful, bright and tough women who are hand-picked from prison by a secret government organization and given a choice: either spend the best years of their lives behind bars, or to enlist with the good guys, putting their criminal talents to a more patriotic use. Now, this gorgeous and volatile trio of convicted felons is working for the very feds that put them away, deciding to turn their backs on their former lives and waging a weekly war on the world’s sleaze and scumbags.
 
In its second season, She-Spies is a new addition to TORONTO 1’s already stellar Fall line-up. Since its debut in 2002, She Spies has already developed a steady fan base due to its good humour, great acting and amazing action scenes. While the choreography and script are an important component of the show, what has driven She Spies to achieve such popularity is the crime fighting trio and their leading men. Cassie, played by actress Natasha Henstridge, Shane and D.D each posses a specialized skill which, coupled with their expert martial arts capabilities, makes them a force to be reckoned with. However the one man that is able to keep them on their toes is their no-nonsense boss Mr. Cross, who holds the key to their freedom. Rounding out the cast is the techno-nerd genius Duncan, who is the show’s Master of gadgetry and spends much of his times complying with the girls’ every request and developing an unrequited crush on each one.  Armed with sleek moves, street smarts and attitude, together these bad girls gone good are crime’s greatest adversary and will stop at nothing to make the world a safer place.

Premiers: September 13th, 2004
Airing: Mondays at 8:00PM

Bios Of The Actresses
 
NATASHA HENSTRIDGE
Boasting a dynamic career which includes some of the top-grossing films of all time, Henstridge may be best known for playing yet another beautiful but deadly character. In a star-making performance, she played the part of Sil in the hit MGM sci-fi thriller Species, terrifying audiences around the globe as an alien with an insatiable appetite for sex and carnage. She would later reprise the role in the film’s sequel before solidifying her reputation as a major box office draw when Maximum Risk, co-starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, opened as the number one movie in America. More recently, Henstridge co-starred with Bruce Willis and Mathew Perry in The Whole Nine Yards and appeared opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck in the film Bounce.
 
 
KRISTEN MILLER
Kristen began her career at the ripe old age of six. Encouraged by her mom, a choreographer, she spent a good deal of her youth appearing in plays and musicals all across southern California. Kristen even spent two years with the prestigious Long Beach Civic Light Opera. At this early stage of her career, Kristen has already had the opportunity to participate in a true pop-culture phenomenon, starring in That’s My Bush, the outlandish Comedy Central series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the legendary comedy team behind South Park.
 

NATASHIA WILLIAMS
Chances are you recognize Natasha from one her innumerable appearances on television in recent years. A veteran of many popular TV commercials, Williams has guest-starred on shows like Damon Wayans’ My Wife and Kids and Howard Stern’s Son of the Beach. Most recently, she starred as Teddy, a series regular on the Olson Twins latest series, So Little Time.

 

 

 

Brown-Haired Canadian Plays Blond Surfer

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Rita Zekas

(Aug. 22, 2004) Heard the one about the dark-haired, dark-eyed kid from Ajax who wins the role of tow-headed lifeguard/surfing dude in a nightime soap over a roomful of Troy Donahues?  Corey Sevier can't quite believe it either, but it's true. He's been shooting the Fox series North Shore there since spring. He plays Gabriel, a lifeguard at a swanky Hawaiian hotel who is also an aspiring pro-surfer.  "I'm training with local surfing legends and world-class stunt men," he enthuses over the phone from his digs in Waikiki, with a view of Diamond Head.  It doesn't suck.  They've shot 13 episodes and Fox has picked up another nine.  Sevier was winner of a beautiful baby contest at age 6 and voted the Most Hollywood Bound and Mr. Congeniality in high school and still has his head screwed on right. He was a lead in the futuristic series 2030CE shot in Winnipeg two years ago. He'd gone to L.A. for the pilot season last spring and did seven episodes of the WB show Black Sash. Then he got North Shore. Sevier shot the pilot mid February through March and they reshot it in April. He made the cut.  "Fox decided to recast four or five characters (including female lead, now Brooke Burns)," he explains. "They ditched the concept but wanted to keep it in Hawaii. They're trying to build it as an OC soap opera."  He originally auditioned for the role of the manager of the hotel, which went to Kristoffer Polaha. "They were looking for someone mid to late 20s." Sevier turned 20 July 3.  "I've never been so tanned in my life," he laughs. Or so blond.  "I've had more work done on my hair than the girls on the show. I get toners and highlights put in and I'm sitting in the chair for hours and the girls tease me."  But he's not set decoration.  "It's an ensemble piece and I'm in every episode," he stresses. "You start to see Gabe unhappy with his duties at the hotel and he's a bit of a hothead: I'm watching rich people walk around and I'm rescuing pool toys. He butts heads because he's surfing and skipping shifts. He has cool emotional stuff. This is really a dream job, living in paradise.  "The cast is joking: `Dude, we cast a Canadian to play a surfer.' And they're walking on the beach in business suits."

 

 

 

Reality TV Scuffle Lands In Court



Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Lynn Elber, Associated Press



(Aug. 19, 2004) LOS ANGELES—A slugfest between Fox TV and the producers of a competing NBC boxing series has landed in court.  DreamWorks SKG and reality mogul Mark Burnett, producers of NBC's upcoming The Contender, asked a judge to force Fox to edit allegedly unlawful bouts out of The Next Great Champ before it airs.  Fox should be barred from using "film of any boxing match that wasn't legally promoted," DreamWorks said in a statement, citing a California Athletic Commission investigation of the reality series.  "It would be terribly damaging to the sport, to our show The Contender and to all the participants if anyone were to profit from or gain an unfair advantage by breaking the law," DreamWorks said.  The filing against The Next Great Champ, produced by boxer Oscar De La Hoya and Endemol USA, was taken under submission Tuesday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Linda Lefkowitz in Santa Monica.  It alleges that The Next Great Champ was produced on a "rushed and frenzied basis" to beat NBC's series to the air and violated state boxing regulations.  In The Next Great Champ, aspiring boxers compete for a contract with De La Hoya's company and a World Boxing Organization title fight. In The Contender, the prize is $1 million US and a shot at a boxing career.  Fox is getting out in front with its show, which is scheduled for a Sept. 10 debut. The NBC series is to begin sometime in November.  "We believe these claims are without merit," Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said Tuesday. "This is an effort to stifle competition by seeking an inappropriate prior restraint of a broadcast."  NBC and Fox already have sparred outside court over the competing reality TV concepts.  Last month, NBC Universal Television Group president Jeff Zucker accused Fox of hijacking the boxing idea after NBC announced it planned a series with DreamWorks' founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, Burnett and Sylvester Stallone of Rocky fame.  Fox TV entertainment chief Gail Berman said claims that Fox is stealing reality show concepts are "outrageous" and a business ploy.

 

 

 

Brandy Returning To Comedy Roots

Excerpt from www.billboard.com - Nellie Andreeva, The Hollywood Reporter

Actress/singer Brandy is returning to her comedy series roots. The "Moesha" star is finalizing a development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co., Touchstone TV and studio-based Storyline Entertainment to star in a half-hour series project.  Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will executive produce the show, with Brandy and her mother and manager, Sonja Norwood, co-executive producing. The concept for the series is being shaped up as producers are meeting with writers.  The deal reunites Brandy with Zadan and Meron. In 1997, she played the title role in the duo's hit musical "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," which successfully launched the most recent incarnation of the "Wonderful World of Disney" franchise on ABC.  Two years later, Brandy starred opposite Diana Ross in another musical for ABC, "Double Platinum," executive produced by Zadan, Meron and Norwood.  "I'm really excited to reunite with Craig and Neil along with my mom, Sonja, on this project," Brandy says. "I feel that this team, in collaboration with Fox and Touchstone, will work to create a very exciting new series for me to star in."   While working on the project, Brandy will continue her efforts in support of her recently released Atlantic album "Afrodisiac," which debuted last month at No. 3 on The Billboard 200.  Brandy got her big break at age 14 with a role on ABC's short-lived 1993 comedy series "Thea." The following year, she released her self-titled debut album.  From 1996-2001, she starred in the hit UPN comedy series "Moesha," which spawned another long-running sitcom for the network, "The Parkers." The following year, MTV chronicled Brandy's road to motherhood in the reality series "Brandy: Special Delivery."

 

 

 

CBS Holds Black Talent Showcase

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 20, 2004) *CBS, in association with The Robey Theatre Company, SAG and AFTRA, will sponsor a talent showcase for African Americans on October 27 in Los Angeles. Network suits, as well as casting directors from CBS’ primetime and daytime programs, will be on hand at the showcase -- and an invitation has also been extended to casting directors from production companies that work with CBS.  The showcase is part of the CBS Diversity Institute, a comprehensive program designed to identify and develop diversity within the writing, directing and talent communities. In addition to the Minority Talent Showcases, (which in the past have included the Latino American Talent Showcases in partnership with Nosotros and the Native American Talent Showcases in association with American Indians in Film and Television) the CBS Diversity Institute also includes the CBS Writers Mentoring Program and the CBS Directing Initiative.

 

 

 

Regis Clocks World Record For Living A Lifetime On TV

Source:  Associated Press

(Aug 20, 2004 ) New York — Regis Philbin has lived a lifetime on television. Logging 15,188 hours on the tube has yielded him fame, fortune — and now a place in the record books. Friday's broadcast of Live With Regis and Kelly gives the talk-show host the Guinness World Record for most hours on camera. He passes broadcaster Hugh Downs for the record, as calculated by Guinness World Records researcher Stuart Claxton. "Now it's all a big blur," Philbin told The Associated Press Thursday as he looked back on his career that began as a San Diego news anchor in 1958. "When you look back that's a lot of hours on TV." With now officially the longest resume in television, Philbin wonders, "You'd think it might make me better, but I don't know." Philbin, who will turn 73 next week, has hosted the syndicated Live in all 16 of its seasons — now with Kelly Ripa. In his 46-year career, he's hosted numerous news and entertainment shows, as well as the ABC game show Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire. Of all the experiences, Philbin most remembers the interviews of other talk-show hosts — people, he says, "that do what I do. People like Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, David Letterman that know what being a talk-show host is about." Clearly all the years on TV aren't a total blur — one evening broadcast from the 1950s still sticks in his memory. While doing the evening news in San Diego, Philbin and his fellow broadcasters were laughing at The Big Party, which preceded the broadcast. When 11 p.m. came, Philbin was unable to control his still bubbling laugh as he was thrust into reading the headlines of the day, which began with a train wreck in the Italian Alps that killed 117. "That is the nightmare that I remember," he says with a grimace. Meanwhile, Philbin will be the roastmaster at the New York Friars Club's Oct. 15 roast of real estate mogul Donald Trump, now a TV star with his hit reality show The Apprentice.  "Given the size of Trump's ego, we will be lucky to be done by Christmas," said Friars Club dean Freddie Roman.

 

 

 

Voice Of Homer A Stroke Of Luck For Dan Castellaneta

Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Lynn Elber, Associated Press

(Aug. 22, 2004) LOS ANGELES—Ask Dan Castellaneta to describe how he sounds off-screen and this is what he offers: sort of deadpan, shy of nasal, with a standard Midwestern tilt.  But like a bag filled with surprises, here's what he's pulled out of that voice in his years with The Simpsons: Homer Simpson, Krusty the clown, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, groundskeeper Willy and more.  Castellaneta's delivery of the grand Homeric syllable of exasperation — "D'oh!" — was enough to land it in the dictionary. He's also received more traditional honours, including an Emmy last week.  It's his third trophy for work on the animated series but still welcome, especially since it's been 10 years since the last one. His award for outstanding voiceover performance was in a category announced before the Sept. 19 Emmy ceremony.  Given Castellaneta routinely creates vocal magic, bringing alive Homer, befuddled Grampa and gravelly Krusty, what did it take for TV academy voters to listen up again and take notice?  He speculates it was particularly sparkling writing on the episode for which he won, and maybe the fact two of the characters he voices, Homer and Krusty, were featured.  In one story line, Herschel Krustofsky a.k.a. Krusty, is stunned to learn he's ineligible for the Springfield Jewish community's walk of fame because he's never had a bar mitzvah.  Castellaneta happily re-creates Krusty's raspy lament: "All this time I thought I was a self-hating Jew, and now I'm just an anti-Semite!"  The Simpsons remains funny and surprising, Castellaneta says, adding: "I believe the show still breaks the mold in terms of storytelling."  No one could have predicted the ride would be so long or so spectacular. Debuting in 1989, the series helped Fox establish itself as an alternative to the big three networks and has become the longest-running sitcom ever (eclipsing the 14 years of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet).  Castellaneta was there before the start. He was part of Fox's The Tracey Ullman Show (1987-90) when Matt Groening whipped up brief animation fillers that introduced the Simpson family to television.  Since Castellaneta and Julie Kavner, another cast member, were on hand, they were asked to provide the voices of Homer and wife Marge.

"Matt Groening was there with a drawing of this family and said, `Can you give me a voice for this guy?'" Castellaneta says.  He employed a growly "kind of Walter Matthau" approach, he says. But he found it couldn't encompass the tone changes of Homer's runaway emotions and was fatiguing for extended recording sessions.  "I was trying to find something I was more comfortable with that had more power to it," he said. "So I had to" — he lowers his tone to now familiar Homer-speak — "drop the voice down."  The change in Homer's diction created a minor media myth.  "People will say to me, `Boy, I'm glad they replaced the guy that was there that first season.' That was me!" Castellaneta says.  The Chicago native, who was part of that city's famed Second City troupe, has been heard in a variety of other TV shows and in movies and has made on-camera appearances in That '70s Show and elsewhere. He'd enjoy more screen time but is aware that few projects are as remarkable as The Simpsons.  "I came to realize it's very rare for an actor to be part of anything that's incredibly successful. There are actors who have very big careers but have never been associated with a hit of this magnitude."

  

 

 

::SPORTS NEWS::

 

 

Shewfelt's Shining Moment: Calgary Gymnast Gives Canadians Reason To Cheer

Source:  Canadian Press

(Aug 22, 2004) The 22-year-old gymnast from Calgary gave the country its brightest moment of the Athens Games so far, winning the gold medal with a near flawless floor routine. It was Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in artistic gymnastics. But more importantly, it gave Canada its first gold medal in Athens and boosted morale for a Canadian team that has struggled and faced intense scrutiny back home.  "To be able to do one of the best routines of my life, at the Olympic Games (news - web sites), in the Olympic final, is just the most amazing thing," an emotional Shewfelt said after O Canada was played for the first time at the Athens Games.  Gold was also draped around the neck of Montreal's Chantal Petitclerc of Montreal, who finished first in the women's 800-metre wheelchair race. It's a demonstration event in Athens, meaning Petitclerc's gold won't count in Canada's overall medal standings, but she'll still take home a medal.  "I came in very confident that I had the speed for winning. But I knew I couldn't get tense and that I had to keep my technique," said Petitclerc, who will compete in five events in the Paralympics that take place next month in Athens.  Canada has won a gold, a silver and two bronze in Athens.  Also Sunday, Canada's top track star proved she's ready to contend for a medal in the 100-metre hurdles. Perdita Felicien easily qualified for Monday's semifinals. Edmonton-born Angela Whyte also advanced.  Gail Devers (news - web sites), the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, couldn't complete even one hurdle in the event. The 37-year-old American, a three-time world champion, has failed to win an Olympic hurdles medal in five tries.  Elsewhere, Canada's world champion men's eight rowers and the men's lightweight four failed to make it to the podium despite high expectations coming into the Games. And Emilie Heymans of St-Lambert, Que., missed on her fifth dive, which cost her a shot at what seemed like a sure medal. She ended up placing fifth. 

 

 

 

LeBron James Got The Power

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)

Lebron James is now the first superstar athlete to create his own sports drink: Powerade Flava23, which will be available nationally beginning September 1, along with a unique promotional program featuring a LeBron James comic created by DC Comics. The 19-year-baller was said to be involved in every aspect of the creation of the drink, from choosing its “sourberry” flavour profile, to selecting its signature burgundy colour and developing the unique package graphics (a stylized comic version of him soaring through the air). The comic, entitled “King James,” will be available free with the purchase of three 32-ounce bottles of POWERADE at participating retail locations while supplies last. “Powerade gave me the chance to put my spin on things, and I love the way it turned out,” he said in a statement. “I think all my fans will enjoy it too.” Ka-ching!

 

 

 

::OTHER NEWS::

 

 

Wow Factor Stills Works For Cirque

Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By Paula Citron

(Aug. 21, 2004) Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a North American tour of one of its most famous shows. The spectacular 1994 Alegria is also a birthday child in its own right, and a decade later, the production remains a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil has earned its international reputation with its particular brand of "nouveau cirque," showcasing people-only themed productions that provide eye-catching artistic settings for the immense talent of its human performers. Alegria is an extravaganza. The title is Spanish for joy or elation, and creative director Gilles Ste-Croix and stage director Franco Dragone, under the guidance of Guy Laliberté, opted for fantasy to express the quintessence of the word. Set in an opulent 18th-century baroque court, Alegria fuses elements of masque, carnivale, and commedia dell'arte to evoke a world where kings and fools are interchangeable, and where the beauty of art is the escape route from the ugliness of real life. There is always an underlying melancholy in Cirque shows, and Alegria has its garishly dressed noble fools who linger uncertainly on the fringes, and dark, shadowy figures on stilts who cast a pall in the background.

Front and centre, however, are the young and vibrant circus performers who refuse to give in to this gloom as they search out the endless possibilities that push the limits of the physical body. In the program notes, Alegria is described as a "bolt of life," the "cry of a madman," "a delinquent scream," or "joyous strife," and Dominique Lemieux's stunning costumes, replete with character masks, evoke the magic of a phantasmagorical never-never land. Choreographer Debra Brown has given the swirling movement the feel of larger-than-life opera, while Luc Lafortune's magnificent lighting adds other-world dimensions. The glory of Alegria is René Dupéré's original music, a brilliant fusion of sorrowful, heart-felt songs and upbeat jazz. In truth, the enthusiastic opening-night audience could probably not have cared less about Alegria's philosophical ethos or specific artistic presentation. They had come to see Cirque du Soleil's dazzling talent and they were not disappointed. High above were the thrilling men of the aerial high bar, who performed furious body circles before letting go and dropping down into the waiting arms of the swinging trapeze artists below. On ground level, the fast track male and female tumblers executed unbelievable body gymnastics, propelled by giant trampoline jumps. The Russian bars were mind-blowing: Six men held thick, elastic ropes on their shoulders, while their fellows used them as springboards for their aerial tricks. Needless to say, they all landed safely back on the ropes. A female contortionist turned herself into a human pretzel; a Polynesian firedancer did wonders with his flaming baton; an attractive couple executed a derring-do synchronized trapeze routine; a beautiful manipulator performed eye-catching gymnastics as she played with her long ribbon and hoops; and a gorgeous man flew through the air on two pieces of red drapery. Also on tap were a strong man lifting heavy metal weights, and silly clowns who showed both mischief and kindness. When Alegria ended, you could probably hear the cheers across the lake in Rochester.  Alegria continues at Ontario Place in Toronto until Sept. 26.

 

 

 

Hurricane Carter Quits AIDWYC

Excerpt from Share - By RON FANFAIR

Citing ideological differences with five directors of an advocacy group he helped establish, Dr. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter has quit as executive director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC).  Carter, who hinted last March that he was prepared to step down as executive director if the organization did not publicly protest the judicial appointment of former prosecutor Susan MacLean to the Ontario Court of Justice, announced at a press conference last Friday that he's no longer a member of the organization.  "This board of directors can move on with what they think the business of AIDWYC is," said Carter. "I, on the other hand, have to let my baby which I created, nurtured and took all over the world, go."  Carter contends that some of the directors did not wish to challenge MacLean's appointment because they did not want to politicize the process.  "How can these lawyers, two of whom actually did resign then recant their decisions, remain true to themselves and be allowed to continue to direct the activities of such an important organization as AIDWYC?" Carter asked.  "…By their actions, these five individuals have opposed not only the purpose for which AIDWYC was created, but also the truth. They have crippled AIDWYC's ability to advocate for the truth."

Carter said Brian Greenspan and James Lockyer resigned in March when AIDWYC hesitantly decided to publicly protest MacLean's appointment. The resignations were later rescinded. Carter has said he would not name the other three directors.  "The day that MacLean's announcement as a judge was made was the day that everything went awry with AIDWYC," claims Carter.  Carter said that AIDWYC, founded in 1993 in response to the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin, was created to be a public interest organization dedicated to preventing and rectifying wrongful convictions.  "How can Susan MacLean, whose very actions were directly responsible for the creation of this organization, remain a judge and there not be a clear cry of protest from AIDWYC?" Carter continued.  MacLean was the only prosecutor to pursue Morin through his 1982 trial and 1986 retrial for the murder of Christine Jessop. Carter was part of a team that represented Morin in the 1997 inquiry into his wrongful conviction.  Justice Fred Kaufman, who spearheaded the inquiry into Morin's wrongful conviction, said Morin was a victim of flimsy evidence, terrible judgment and "tunnel vision" by police and prosecutors.  MacLean, who testified she believed there was sufficient evidence that pointed to Morin's guilt, later apologized for the position she took.

Carter, who spent two decades in U.S. penitentiaries for a triple murder he did not commit, says he refuses to engage in a power struggle with AIDWYC's board of directors.  "That will only mean that innocent people behind bars will languish there for want of an advocate," he said. "This is not a hobby for me. I am about truth in harmony with beauty moving humanity to freedom. This is not just another notch in my resume belt or a stepping stone to a judicial appointment.  "AIDWYC and all those who are wrongfully convicted have become my life, and my work in defending innocent people will continue.  "….The fact that these five directors out of a total of 20 are able to influence and control 15 other directors to allow this press conference to even take place today demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt, and by the preponderance of the evidence, how these five individuals have paralyzed the association that I was once proud to be member of.  "In order for AIDWYC to remain true to itself, these five directors will have to go. Then, I will have no choice but to return."  Paul Copeland, one of AIDWYC's directors, said Carter confronted the executive with his decision to resign if the five members were not removed at a board meeting last week.  "The Board declined to go along with what Rubin was proposing," said Copeland. "We are unhappy that he made the decision to quit, but we will continue with our work. This is part of the growing pains of an organization and perhaps someday, we will be able to work together again."  Carter, who unsuccessfully challenged Joey Giardello for the world boxing middleweight belt in 1964, is on the board of directors of the Southern Centre for Human Rights in Atlanta, the Death Penalty Focus Group in California and the Alliance of Prison Justice in Boston.

 

 

 

Bob Dylan Memoir Coming In October

Source:  Reuters

(Aug. 25, 2004) NEW YORK—The famously private Bob Dylan will shed light on his life and four-decade career as a singer-songwriter in a memoir to be published this autumn, his publisher said yesterday.  Dylan's Chronicles: Volume One (Simon & Schuster), the first of a planned three-book series, is a first-person narrative from the 63-year-old music icon, who rose to fame in the early 1960s and whose musical style ranged from folk and blues to rock, country and gospel.  The 304-page book is due out Oct. 12 and will be followed about a week later by an updated edition of Lyrics: 1962-2001, a compendium of lyrics to nearly every Dylan song. He previously published Tarantula, a 1971 book of poems. 

 

 

 

Tyra Embraces The Booty In ‘Sister 2 Sister’

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com

(Aug. 19, 2004) *In the new issue of “Sister 2 Sister” magazine, supermodel Tyra Banks reveals how her weight was an issue during her first few months on the job in Europe.  “My agency sat me and my mom down in Italy and said that it’s a problem that I can’t work as many fashion shows because I’m gaining weight,” Tyra told the magazine’s Jamie Foster Brown. “So I was like, ‘Mama, I’m not going to be all unhealthy like these other girls that I see. I’m gonna do it healthy. So I’m gonna go to the gym and I’m gonna eat these salads and this chicken.’ But I couldn’t do it but for three days. And she was like ‘Baby, you know what? Let’s go.’ And she took my hand and we got on the trolley car in Italy, and she got off at our favourite pizza spot. We ordered a whole pizza and ate it. She was like, ‘My baby isn’t going to be a victim of this crazy industry.’”  Tyra noticed the commercial success of Cindy Crawford and began to plot her course away from high fashion runways, embraced her “big butt and breasts” and laughed all the way to the bank,” writes Foster Brown.  Also in this month’s edition of “Sister 2 Sister”:  Lil’ Jon tells why he almost didn’t give the hit “Yeah” to Usher Serena Williams and Usher “flirt it up” at Wimbledon Bishop Don “Magic” Juan explains his approach to church and “pimpdom” and Dr. Jeff gives readers tips on how to spot an abuser before you’re in too deep.

 

 

 

GQ Magazine Features Musicians

Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)

For its September 2004 issue, “GQ” magazine names the 25 most stylish musicians of all time in an edition called Big Style. The hot list includes: Andre 3000, Beck, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Keith Richards, Paul Simonon, Frank Sinatra, Pharrell Williams and Steve Wonder, amongst others. This issue of “GQ,” which is believed to be the leading men's general-interest magazine, is on newsstands nationwide starting August 24. Justin Timberlake graces the cover for a portfolio shot by fashion photographer Bruce Weber.

 

 

 

::FITNESS NEWS::

 

 

Is Stress Making You Fat?

by Michael Stefano, Special for eFitness

(Aug. 19, 2004) From rising terror alerts to falling stock prices, today's world provides ample stimulation to trigger a stressful response. But did you know that this stress response could be making you fat?

The Flight or Fight Response

Millions of years ago, our cavemen ancestors needed to react swiftly to any perceived threat. This flight or fight response was designed to provide quick energy for 5-10 minutes, enabling our forefathers and mothers to either do battle or run.  At the first sign of perceived danger, the human brain releases a substance known as corticotropin-releasing-hormone, or CRH. CRH travels to the adrenal cortex and stimulates the release of the hormones adrenalin and cortisol.  Immediately eyesight and hearing improve, lung capacity jumps, and thinking becomes more focused. The digestive system is temporarily shut down, and blood is shunted from the internal organs for emergency use elsewhere. Heart rate and blood pressure climb, and due to increased cortisol levels, more stored fuel (fat and glucose) is mobilized for quick action.  Production of insulin, the fat storage hormone, is also dramatically increased. Insulin overrides signals from adrenalin to burn fat, and instead, encourages the body to store fat (for future use) in the abdominal region.  For a great ab workout, click here.  This life-saving, emergency response plan was appropriate to an era when your biggest concern was surviving the day. But when was the last time you reacted to a stressful situation by actually fighting or running away? Unfortunately, the human brain cannot distinguish between a valid physical threat and ordinary, day-to-day stress. For many stressed-out individuals, the flight or fight response is triggered on an almost continuous basis.

Here's what we know so far:  Your body reacts to stress and prepares itself to run or fight by releasing certain hormones (adrenalin, cortisol, insulin). Your brain cannot distinguish between chronic stress and a life-threatening situation, and will react the same in both cases. In today’s world, physical threats are few and far between, but day-to-day stress is chronic, and can also trigger the flight or fight response.

Cortisol is the Culprit

As you sit in your car and stew over the wall of traffic in front of you, the deadlines at work you’ll never meet, and the bills you can’t pay, your brain begins to sense the onset of a threatening situation and sets the flight or fight response into motion.  You feel this as nervous tension or just plain anxiety. Your heart pounds, you want to jump out of your skin, but you can only sit. All that extra fuel (in the form of fat and glucose) that's designed to provide you with emergency energy, is now being mobilized for action, but goes unused and left behind, only to be re-deposited as fat. And to make matters worse, usually belly-fat.  High cortisol levels are associated with increased appetite and fat deposits, typically around the trunk and abdomen. Some researches theorize that this unused fuel (or fat) is generally deposited in the abdominal area because of its proximity to the liver (where it can be quickly converted to a usable form of energy).

The Adrenalin Antidote

As part of the body's short-term protective measures, Cortisol acts like the adrenalin antidote. Upon removal of the stressful stimulus, adrenalin levels quickly dissipate, but cortisol levels remain high, causing insulin production to surge as well.  In the face of prolonged or chronic stress, cortisol levels can remain constantly high, keeping you in a state of perpetual hunger. We can easily see how elevated cortisol levels can promote weight gain due to an overabundance of insulin. Insulin resistance, which affects 25 percent of all Americans, is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  The average caveman was well served by a system that signaled him to eat after every emergency, and where total energy expenditure was not uncommon. Today true physical emergencies are rare, but this short-term protective mechanism, although somewhat outdated, still works, and the act of going out and obtaining food burns only as few calories as it takes to drive to the nearest supermarket or McDonald's (about one french fry).  The stress response is hardwired into the fabric of our lives. Ask the average man or woman off the street if he or she gets stressed out on a regular basis, and you’ll most likely hear an emphatic, "Yes!" So if we can’t eliminate stress, how can we combat the negative effects of the flight or fight response?  One of the most obvious ways to combat fat and the ravages of stress is with exercise. Exercise represents a triple threat to body fat. First, exercise burns calories and utilizes stored body fat as fuel. Second, working out increases the amount of lean muscle mass your body must provide with fuel on a 24-hour basis. More muscle means less fat.  Researchers from Yale University have now clearly demonstrated a third mechanism by which exercise reduces stores of body fat, especially around the belly. They've demonstrated that moderate to vigorous exercise, such as lifting weights, can offset the negative effects of cortisol and insulin.  With as little as 10 minutes of strenuous exercise the brain begins to produce beta-endorphins that calm you and decrease levels of the stress hormone. Many feel that strenuous exercise actually mimics a typical caveman-like physical reaction to a threat, and is the modern-day version of an appropriate reaction to the flight or fight response.  Don’t overdo it. Too much exercise can actually cause additional stress and associated symptoms. Be sure to get plenty of rest. Inadequate sleep increases cortisol levels and reduces leptin, a hormone that signals fullness.  Common sense dictates that you eat right, get plenty of sleep, and exercise, but now we have another weapon in the battle of the bulge; stress management. Be sure to not ignore the signs of being overstressed, of which being overweight is just one symptom.  Another victim of stress is the youth-promoting hormone Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA. DHEA is a naturally occurring feel-good hormone that’s been shown to decline under times of physical and emotional trauma, and may be another connection between stress and weight gain.  Researches have found that DHEA levels can be easily elevated during meditation, as well as by exercise. In a similar fashion to the beta-endorphins that are released during vigorous activities, DHEA production increases during meditation. This process reduces blood cortisol levels and combats the negative effects of stress.  Recognize symptoms and do something today, whether through exercise or other types of stress management techniques such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, taking up a hobby, or meditation. Take back control of your life.

Early warning signs of stress:

·  Sudden weight loss or weight gain
·  Tired but can’t sleep, excessive fatigue
·  Speech difficulties, impatience
·  Headaches, repeated colds or flu
·  Nail biting, teeth grinding
·  Low or high blood sugar
·  Low or high blood pressure
·  High cholesterol or triglycerides
·  Ulcers and gastric disturbances
·  Chest pains, muscle aches
·  Lower back, shoulder, neck pain
·  Menstrual problems, hair loss
·  Forgetfulness, withdraw from social life

 

 

 

EVENTS –AUG. 26 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2004

 

 

 

SUNDAY, AUG. 29
SOULAR    
College Street Bar    
574 College Street (at Manning)    
10:30 pm
$5.00
    
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Dione Taylor, Sandy Mamane, Davide Direnzo, Justin Abedin, Dafydd Hughes and David French.

 

 

 

MONDAY, AUG. 30
Irie Food Joint
745 Queen Street W.
10:00 pm

EVENT PROFILE:  This summer Carl Cassell has chosen to expand his outdoor patio and it is beautiful!!  Stop by and have a look and while you're there, try something from the Irie menu - it will make your tastebuds dance!  The patio bar is stocked and waiting to serve you – swing by any night of the week for an exceptional experience that includes:

 

 

 

MONDAY, AUG. 30
VIP JAM WITH SPECIAL GUESTS    
Revival Bar    
783 College Street (at Shaw)    
10:00 pm    
NO COVER    
    
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Rich Brown, Joel Joseph and Shamakah Ali with various local artists. 

 

 

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
SOULAR    
College Street Bar    
574 College Street (at Manning)    
10:30 pm    
$5.00    
    
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Dione Taylor, Sandy Mamane, Davide Direnzo, Justin Abedin, Dafydd Hughes and David French

 

 

 

Have a great week!    
    
Dawn Langfield      
Langfield Entertainment    
www.langfieldentertainment.com