Keepingitreal

Byron Cage: Raising Awareness About Chronic Kidney Disease

   

Aborn leader of worship, award-winning gospel artist Byron Cage has come to be known as the “Prince of Praise.” Dedicating more than 18 years to directing worship at two of the country’s most prestigious mega-churches, Byron Cage inspires people to take active roles in bettering their mind, body and spirit. In choosing to partner with the Strength in HarmonySM campaign, Byron Cage has made a commitment to supporting the healthy lives of those who have supported his career. The Strength in HarmonySM campaign is designed to encourage those at risk for chronic kidney disease to recognize warning signs and to obtain early medical intervention. Strength in HarmonySM is being offered by Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., in partnership with The COSHAR Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization with a focus on health education through faith-based initiatives.I got involved because I have a personal interest and a willingness to be of service,” Cage relates. “I not only have an opportunity to share good music, but to also give a message. My Aunt Liza died of kidney disease, so there is a definite interest on my part to use my celebrity status to heighten awareness in our community.”To read more on this article please purchase: 2006 November/December issue of Homes of Color Magazine.

The “Yarn Paintings” of Yaw Obuobi

   

Art has been described as more than something that is pleasing to the eye. Art tends to go much deeper. Homes of Color recently sat down with Yaw Obuobi to discuss his artwork, as well as the process and vision that encouraged him to produce his collection entitled “The Phantom of the African Beat.” Obuobi explains this collection offers a “spiritual experience woven through the threads of music and dance, as it exists in Ghanaian culture.” His use of four-dimensional drawings and the unique expressive feel of lines in yarn allow him to “interpret the evolution of culture in rhythm as I see it reflected in the soul of a people.” The works that he creates capture the spirituality of creation, the awe and wonder of the changing seasons, and the beauty emanating from a free soul. To read more on this article please purchase: 2006 November/December issue of Homes of Color Magazine.

Picture of the Week

On Monday, a supporter of Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba welcomes him home at Abidjan airport with the message: "A true leader is a cut above the rest".

Ricky Martin Defends Gay Musicians

MEXICO CITY - Ricky Martin defended the right of pop stars to come out of the closet, saying he felt solidarity with Christian Chavez of Mexican band RBD, who recently said publicly that he is gay. "Life is too short to live closed up, guarding what you say," said Martin _ whose sexual orientation has been the subject of speculation _ in an interview with The Associated Press. Christian "has to be free in many aspects. I wish him much strength." Martin, who was named person of the year in 2006 by the Latin Recording Academy, has hits including "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "Shake Your Bon-Bon." MORE ON THIS STORY

Ugandan Lesbian Seeks U.S. Asylum

By CHERYL WITTENAUER, Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS - Olivia Nabulwala says her family in Uganda was so angry and ashamed to learn she was a lesbian that her relatives hurled insults at her, pummeled her and, finally, stripped her and held her down while a stranger raped her. "I hated myself from that day," she says in a sworn statement. "I disliked my family for subjecting me to such torture, and yet they felt this was a good punishment for me."Now, in a case that illuminates a relatively unexplored area of immigration law, the African immigrant is asking for asylum in the U.S. on the grounds she was persecuted over her sexual orientation. And a federal appeals court ruling last week in St. Louis has raised her hopes of success. MORE ON THIS STORY

EVE TRIPLE THREAT

Eve Unleashed

By GIANT on Young Buck

Triple threat entertainer Eve goes back to her hip-hop roots after a four-year sabbatical to concentrate on her self-titled UPN sitcom and fashion line, Fetish. On the cusp of her new pop/rap album, Here I Am, Eve gets chained up and glam on the April/May 2007 cover of GIANT Magazine. In a candid interview with GIANT contributor Regina Robertson, the 28-year-old self-pronounced “pitbull in a skirt” shares her thoughts on everything from MySpace to Jay-Z to sex tapes to the state of hip hop music. Outlined below are select passages from GIANT’s cover feature with Eve entitled: “Bound to Win.”

ON THE LEAKED SEX TAPE WITH FORMER BOYFRIEND STEVIE J.
“I was hurt by it. But what kept me calm was that everybody knew he was my boyfriend. Not that I wanted people to see me having sex, but it wasn’t like I was getting gangbanged – that would have been crazy.”

ON THE DECLINE OF HIP HOP MUSIC
“For me, it all started with (D4L’s) ‘Laffy Taffy.’ When I first heard that song on the radio, I just knew it was a joke, but then I kept hearing it. Every artist has the right to do what they want, but I don’t believe in making that kind of music. It’s disposable. Hip-hop is in cardiac arrest, but I think it’s revivable.”

ON RECONNECTING WITH LIL’ KIM
“I used to roll in the car with my high school friends listening to Biggie and Kim. (But we were) not speaking, for whatever reason. When my publicist told me we would be sitting across from each other, I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ There wasn’t any real beef, but I just didn’t want any tension. But we ended up talking, like really talking, for forty-five minutes. We even exchanged numbers. I’d love to do a joint with Kim. I really want to see her come back, you know?”

ON INTERRACIAL LOVE
“I’m going to love who loves me, and if I’m attracted to a person, I’m attracted to them. I’ve had black men say to me, ‘Oh, I heard you were dating a white man.’ It’s like, ‘Have I gone out with (a white man)? Yes. Am I dating someone white? No, but if I was, it would be my choice, so stay out of my business.’” For more with Eve, as well as Daddy Yankee, Joss Stone, Young Buck and Amy Winehouse, check out the new issue on newsstands everywhere!

BUZZ

FOREST WHITAKER & JENNIFER HUDSON TO STAR IN FILM TOGETHER

By Angel on NEWS/STORIES

Hollywood Wiretap reports that Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) is playing fellow Oscar winner Forest Whitaker’s daughter in Winged Creatures, now shooting in Los Angeles. Hudson joins Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Embeth Davidtz in the film, being directed by Rowan Woods (Little Fish). The story follows the witnesses to [...]

Richardson scores season-high 36 in win

In NBA

Jason Richardson scored a season-high 36 points and hit a franchise-record eight 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors rolled from a 45-point first quarter Thursday night to a 124-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Stephen Jackson scored 29 points and Baron Davis added 21 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds as the Warriors took a big lead in the third quarter, but blew most of it in the fourth before hanging on for an important win for their playoff hopes.

FINAL FOUR 2007

Welcome To Atlanta

This truly is where the players play.  Our city is about to be engulfed by one of sports finest events - The NCAA's Final Four.  This year in particular should be considered special.  We have four teams in the Final Four that you could very easily argue as the top four teams in the nation. Florida, UCLA and Ohio State each were ranked #1 at some point this season.  Georgetown fell out of the AP's Top 25 for a few weeks but a surge late in the year left them ranked #9 and playing some of the best basketball in the country entering the tournament.  Now these giants come to our fair city in hopes of being crowned king. Apparently this year has also yielded the most prognosticators with the correct guesses.  There are a lot of people who picked the correct Final Four.  I, of course, did not.  I picked three of the four teams. I hoped that Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals would come out as the victors in San Antonio.  Instead, they stumbled harder than Tara Reid during a sobriety test, making a grand exit in the second round. That being said, I still have hopes of picking the tournament champion - UCLA. I think that the Bruins have all the right pieces to make it happen. They lost in the championship game last year to Florida, so there is a revenge-factor that has to be taken into account.  Florida does return almost every part of their championship team from last year though.  It will be a great semi-final match up. Georgetown head-man, John Thompson III, brings a new style of play to the Hoyas.  They have giant Roy Hibbert (7-2, 278 lbs.) and some tremendous guards (plus, my fiancée Jennifer picked them to win it all...unbelievable!).  Waiting for them is freshman-phenom Greg Oden and the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Oden has been a fun player to watch this year and is an NBA-calibur center at 18 years old.  I really hope that he sticks around at Ohio State because we could be watching one of the best college hoopsters of the past couple decades. So who do you have running the gamut and cutting down the nets?  Share your thoughts and let's see who knows his (or her...I'm not discriminating) stuff. Saturday's Games: Georgetown vs. Ohio State - 6:07 p.m. Florida vs. UCLA - 40 minutes after the completion of Game 1 The Championship Game will be Monday, April 2.

Halle Berry Hits Red Carpet In Cleveland

(AP) Even in the rain, Halle Berry draws a crowd when she returns home to the Cleveland area. About 800 people waited in drizzle Thursday night in this Ohio suburb to catch a glimpse of the Oscar-winning actress before a screening of her new film, "Perfect Stranger."
Onlookers snapped photos with cameras and cell phones as Berry made her way from a sport utility vehicle to the movie theater. She signed autographs, talked to fans and conducted interviews with local media. "I'm so happy to be home," she told the packed theater before the film started. "I swear this is true. No matter how many countries I've been to, no matter how many warm receptions I've gotten, my heart was beating when I pulled up. Nothing feels better. The voices all sound familiar in some weird way. I'm of here. I'm from here. And I'm one of you." Berry, 40, grew up in the Cleveland area and graduated from high school in suburban Bedford in 1984. She won the best-actress Oscar in 2002 for "Monster's Ball." Guests at the screening included Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson _ who called Berry "homegrown and beautiful" when he introduced her _ and Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards. MORE ON THIS STORY

A BLACK PLAGUE

A Black Plague
New Study: African Americans dominate AIDS cases
By Mashaun D. Simon

Despite a 5% average annual decline in the rate of HIV diagnoses among African Americans from 2001 to 2004, the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic among this group remains severe, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a report released in 2006 by the CDC, it shows that in 2004, African Americans accounted for 20,965 estimated AIDS cases, constituting 49% of diagnosed cases among U.S. adults. That year, the rate of new HIV diagnoses among African Americans was more than eight times higher than the rate among whites. From 2001 to 2004, blacks accounted for more than half of all new HIV diagnoses (51%), even though they were only about 13% of the population. The numbers come from a subset of 33 states with longstanding, name-based HIV reporting, says Jennifer Ruth, spokeswoman for the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. "These more detailed analyses show that despite possible signs of success, HIV continues to exact a devastating toll on African Americans in the U.S.," she says. Blacks have accounted for more than 379,000, or 40%, of the estimated AIDS cases diagnosed nationwide since the beginning of the epidemic. Through December 2004, more than 201,000 blacks were estimated to have died with AIDS. Blacks have accounted for 38% of estimated deaths among persons with AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic.

Blog Buzz

Patti LaBelle Wins GLAAD Media Award

By Keith Boykin on pop culture

I've been to a lot of fundraising dinners and boring awards shows over the years, but last night's GLAAD Media Awards was truly something special. Of course, there was the usual cavalcade of celebrities. Last year it was actor Michael Douglas and "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee who drew attention. This year, Whoopi Goldberg started the program and left the stage during her performance and walked over to my table to hug former NBA player John Amaechi. Goldberg was followed by dozens of other celebrities throughout the night. But it was Patti LaBelle and Jennifer Hudson who stole the...

NYC To Be "Nigger" Free Zone

In News

On a somewhat related news, check this shit out:

The [NYC] city council is set to approve a permanent moratorium tomorrow on the use of the N-word in New York City.

The resolution will have no legal weight or enforcement power, but will merely convey the legislative body's strong condemnation of the word...

Now, do we really need politicians telling us that nigger's a naughty word, as Glenn Beck may say. Sure, it's great they came out to say they aren't down with people using it, but it's just plain common sense.

As for an "permanent moratorium"? First, that's sort of an oxymoron. Second, what about free speech? Third, if the council's all about cleaning up people's politically incorrect potty mouths, where are the bans on spic, faggot, kike, chink and all those other nasties? Also, if nigger's banned, where does that leave negro? Is that out, too? We're just so confused, we don't know what to think!

The Advocate: "Clinton vs Obama"

By Rod

Our special report in the newest issue of The Advocate. In Behind the Gay Friendly Faces, we outline presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's positions on LGBT issues, speak to gay and lesbian strategists and campaign operatives who personally..

Beyonce, Ciara Explain Why They Unleashed Their Inner Tomboys

Beyonce, Ciara Explain Why They Unleashed Their Inner Tomboys< MTV News breaks down gorgeous gangstas' cross-dressing crossovers.What's with Beyoncé and Ciara getting so manly all of a sudden? In B's new video for "Upgrade You," she plays her beau, Jay-Z. Likewise, Ciara's new clip for "Like a Boy" opens with the singer dressed as a boy and declaring, "2007. Ladies, I think it's time to switch roles."MTV News breaks down how the gorgeous gangstas made the transition: Video: Beyoncé's "Upgrade You" Testosterone Tutorials: B's inspiration was obviously Jay-Z. Although Young Hova appears in the video, Beyoncé took the liberty of imitating her man in some parts — and she has him down pat, all the way to the lip curl. "He didn't coach me," B insisted. "I had it down already, I'd seen him perform so many times, you know, I had it down." For the record, B was so embarrassed playing Jay in front of him that she made Hovie leave the room. Gear: She's known for shaking her derrière in House of Dereon dresses, but for this clip, all she needs is a classic white dress shirt, dookie gold rope, jeans and — word to Jam Master Jay — white Adidas. "It was great not wearing the heels," Beyoncé said. MORE ON THIS STORY

Lesbian asks court to ban gay adoptions

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 25, 2:26 PM ET

ATLANTA - Sara Wheeler's life has become a contradiction. Once a proud lesbian, she's now a pariah in the gay community. Once in a committed relationship with a female partner, she's rethinking her sexuality. And now she's doing something she once would have considered unthinkable — arguing that gays don't have the legal right to adopt children. Wheeler is coming to grips with the fact that she's become an outcast for taking this step in a custody fight for her child. But she says that isn't what her fight is about: "It's about motherly rights."Wheeler, 36, and her partner, Missy, decided to start a family together and share the Wheeler last name. In 2000, Sara Wheeler gave birth to a son, Gavin, through artificial insemination. Two years later, they decided Missy Wheeler should adopt the child and legally become his second parent. Georgia law doesn't specifically say whether gay parents can adopt a child, so the decision was up to a judge in the Atlanta area's DeKalb County. After an adoption investigator determined that both partners wanted it, the judge cleared the request. MORE ON THIS STORY

FILM REVIEW

This Weekend’s Best Movie Bets: Shooter, TMNT

By GIANT on TMNT

 

Hollywood’s doing what it does best: dynamic action full of revenge, betrayal, assassins and…ninjas? In Shooter, Mark Wahlberg once again brings his hardcore self to the screen as an ex-marine persuaded back into action upon learning of a plan to assassinate the President that (of course) only his hardcore self can stop. Perhaps Mark, as Bob Lee Swagger (no comment…!), should’ve put aside his male ego for just a second, though, because as soon as he turns around, he’s framed for the attempt and on the run with only a novice FBI agent (Michael Pena) and random sexy woman (Kate Mara) on his side. He sets out to prove his innocence, but the closer he gets to discovering who framed him, the more he realizes that this is actually (shocker) a conspiracy at the very heart of the government. Eh, well, despite the overdone big-screen conspiracy-theory storyline, a film with ex-marines, guns and Marky Mark? How could it miss? On the other hand, anyone who grew up in the 90’s will appreciate the return of the num-chuck wielding, dagger-throwing, shell-spinning cartoon reptiles, in their self-titled animated film: TMNT. Just those initials sound both ominous and, well, really cool! Sure, it’s for the kids, but this high-powered CGI flick is sure to catch the eye of those who watched the cartoons (don’t lie, you watched ‘em.)

Sandler Get Serious

By GIANT on Reign Over Me

Not really a drama or a comedy, Reign Over Me is a story that uses subtle humor as a defense mechanism to mask the things in life they can’t bring themselves to say. In the film, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) randomly reunites with old dental school roommate Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle). Charlie lost his wife, three daughters and the family poodle when their plane hit the Twin Towers on 9/11. They both have problems though Alan’s are less obvious. A young therapist (Liv Tyler) embodies the struggle to help Charlie while being constantly questioned about whether or not she’s old enough to be able to help anyone. Both Alan and Charlie have a good old time living in denial until the reality of death brings them back. Charlie uses misdirection—jamming to his iPod tunes—and when pushed too far violent outburst to deal with his rejection of the truth. Charlie’s in-laws are the only family he has left and they continually try to get him to come back and acknowledge the people they all lost. Director/writer/actor Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger, HBO’s The Mind of the Married Man) is very respectful of New Yorkers and depicts only the man who is still left wondering the streets, on his scooter, after the tragedy. He avoids showing anything involving 9/11 footage or Ground Zero itself. You get the feeling of real New York thanks to the Genesis camera, Panavision’s latest creation. It combines the lens and perspective of a film camera with the capabilities of shooting in low light with digital. You truly feel like your riding right behind Charlie as he weaves back and forth on his scooter through the city streets.

'Pride' is Predictable But Powerful

By Keith Boykin On Movies

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that left me with so many mixed emotions, but PRIDE is one such movie. Set in 1974, the film tells the story of a former high school swimmer who decides to take a group of inner city basketball players and turn them into competitive swimmers. When the city decides to close the dilapidated Marcus Foster Recreation Center in Philadelphia, the young black men who play basketball become the first victims once the basketball rim is taken down. Then Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard) invites the kids inside the rec center...

HRC AND CLINTON ON THE DOWNLOW?

The editor of the Washington Blade weighs in. He makes some fair points. But two questions remain unanswered, and they merit an answer. The first is about Senator Clinton's speech to HRC. Pace Kevin Naff and John Aravosis, no one has claimed that Clinton was the only candidate invited to address HRC's board. The real question about the speech is: why was it not announced beforehand? Why was the press not told? Why was it not on the senator's public schedule? The content was no secret - a video of the event appeared almost instantly on the web. So why were the press thrown off the scent? You'd think HRC would be thrilled with the attention. You think Focus on the Family would hide the fact that a leading Republican candidate addressed them? Please. The official explanation is that it was a Board Meeting and thus closed to the public. The usual exclusiveness and secrecy. So why release the video? My fear is that either HRC (the group) or HRC (the senator) believes that wide press coverage of Senator Clinton addressing HRC would be damaging to both. So they did it on the downlow. They're intimidated by the far right. It's the same defensive crouch we saw when Clinton could not even rebut Peter Pace's comments on the "immorality" of homosexuality a couple of weeks later. MORE ON THIS STORY

Black Celebrities Who Died of AIDS

When surfing my blog feeds I ran across an interesting blog item, about Black Celebrities who died of age. And the ironic thing was they were all under 60 years of age. Some real freaky stuff. Check out the article and see for yourself.

A Conversation With My Brothers

Black Gay Men at Midlife � Part 1 of a series

They are part of the Baby Boom generation. Born between the mid-1950�s and the late 1960�s, the oldest were in elementary school during the March on Washington in 1963, the assassinations of Malcolm X (1965), Martin Luther King (1968) and the birth of the modern gay rights movement touched off by the Stonewall Riots in 1969. Some had already become aware of their true sexual identity by the time the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1973, but make no mistake, the world was a vastly different place in those days. Calls for tolerance and equality, taken for granted now, were few and far between then, and a Black gay male child growing up in the world had neither assurance nor expectation of support from anyone in any quarter. Just as many of these men were coming of age and growing in their own self-awareness, HIV/AIDS arrived, in the early 1980�s. This generation of Black gay men would lose literally thousands of their peers to the pandemic, but they would also be on the frontlines of activist efforts to do something about it. Most of the Black gay national and local organizations for health and social support were started, if not by this generation, then by those who came just before them, during their youth, and with their active participation. MORE ON THIS STORY

The Ray J sex tape

Never let it be said that it doesn’t pay to some famous person’s little brother. In fact, it might even be better than actually being famous yourself. While your more famous sibling is out making all the money and/or killing people with their car, you get to stay at home and spend your considerable allowance on the finest pussy money can buy. Case in point, my pr0n connect kris ex recently came through with a copy of the Ray J sex tape. You’ll recall that it was announced a few weeks ago that Brandy’s little brother had sold a Pam Anderson-style home video of himself and Kim Kardashian - daughter of the OJ Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian and, more importantly, bff of Paris Hilton - to the pr0n company Vivid, who would be releasing it on DVD. Interestingly enough, the video is being billed more so as a Kim Kardashian sex tape than a Ray J one. And if you visit the Kim K Superstar site, there’s no mention at all that Ray J just so happens to be ’90s era R&B star Brandy’s younger brother. Hmm… Of course Kim Kardashian herself is taking a cue from her best friend forever and claiming to have had no idea about any of this, but to date it’s not like she’s sued or anything, and obviously it’s kinda too late now anyway. MORE ON THIS STORY

The GLAAD Media Awards - Gay Media Need Not Apply

Every year The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) hands out its Media Awards in a star-studded Hollywood gala that increasingly looks like a gay Oscars. But this year a cloud hangs over GLAAD's red carpet. A nasty little secret has come to light that many in the industry were shocked to hear. That secret is that Here! and Logo, the nation's two gay TV networks, are not allowed to submit their programs for consideration to the GLAAD Media Awards. You heard that right. According to GLAAD's rules, programs made by and for the nation's two gay TV networks are not eligible for GLAAD media awards. Precisely because those networks are run by - and targeted to - lesbians and gay men, and are therefore 'alternative.' GLAAD might as well hang out a sign saying: Queer Networks Need Not Apply.LAAD's policy of anti-gay exclusion also applies to the lesbian and gay print media, including respected national publications like Out and The Advocate. (Full disclosure: I received a GLAAD Media Award in the 90s, but it was for my work at NY Newsday, a mainstream newspaper.) MORE ON THIS STORY

Janet Looking Fabulous