Keepingitreal

Flirting: BY TIM'M T. WEST

Flirting is Tim'm T. West's poignant follow-up to Red Dirt Revival: a poetic memoir in six breaths. Another poetic memoir, expressed mostly through poetry (though also prose and essay), West flirts with memory, girls, boys, danger, politics, and romance". West writes in the tradition of poets like Audre Lorde, Essex Hemphill, and Pablo Neruda who all seize language as a tool reflecting social change while bridging political and erotic landscapes. Here, the distinction between the personal and political is beautifully blurred. While rooted in his experiences as black, gay-identified poet, emcee, activist, and educator, Flirting is an invitation to (re)connect others to that optimistic, joyful space where, even between rocks and hard places, hope springs eternal. Beyond word play, there is profound meaning and possibility in Flirting. TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK

SOHH Atlanta Exclusive: Bow Wow Barks At Gyant "He Alwayz Picks On Me! I Know Don't If I Banged His Girl Or What?!"

Foxy Brown Spoof

Talib Kweli to appear on "Tavis Smiley" Show Tonight!!

Rapper Talib Kweli just released his fourth solo album yesterday. The album Ear Drum is his first album that is recorded under his own record label, Blacksmith Music. The album features collaborations with Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones, KRS-One and Roy Ayers. Today Kweli sat down to talk with Tavis about his new album among other things. When Tavis Smiley asked Talib Kweli about his new album and how it compares to his previous albums, Talib Kweli told Tavis that he doesn’t like to compare albums because “they are like children” meaning he doesn’t love one more than the other they are just different. The album Ear Drum he states exemplifies the music that he grew up listening to. Talib Kweli worked with people such as Kanye West who he feels was influenced by the same people that he was growing up. Tavis Smiley also asked Talib Kweli about how he was able to be considered the best lyricist out there today. Kweli responded by saying that although he is proud to be associated with artist such as The Roots, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Common and Mos Def he feels that they have all ventured off into new avenues such as movies, and acting. While a lot of the other popular artists have expanded into other areas he worked to “master his craft of pure lyricism.” For Kweli the draw is lyrics. Tavis Smiley talked with Kweli about why he started his own label. Kweli felt that Geffen Records did a poor job in marketing him. On Kweli’s earlier album’s he had to pay for all of his videos out of his own pocket. He was discouraged at the fact that other artist such as 50 Cent and Kanye West started after him and they were reaching higher levels faster. The fact that other artist were accomplishing more made him revaluate what he was doing and how he was going at the business. Kweli also discussed the fact that he grew up with two parents, who both worked as professors. He said having two parents as educators have made him gravitate towards other artists who also have professors as parents. He also has said that having both parents in education has given him a strong work ethic with out a large financial reward. He said that growing up and watching his parents give to the community and being involved with out a large financial reward has taught him the value of being involved and give back to the community. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

LOVE JONES

NAS TALKS ABOUT THE COUPLE'S UPCOMING REALITY SHOW: "Sometimes I feel like "This is cool, man; I have TV cameras following me wherever I go," he says, sipping a margarita from a plastic cup. "Other times I want to crawl under a rock." His mouth turns down stubbornly. "I feel like an idiot--'Did I really agree to this?' It feels so self-absorbed, so self-indulgent." KELIS' HAIR RAISING EXPERIENCE: "At twelve I had a perm, and one day my hair started to break off," she says. "I was like,'Mom!' She said, 'We'll take you back to the salon and get it fixed.' I said, 'Forget it. No matter what, I do not fit in--not with the white girls at school, and not with Chauncey and Rashida from uptown. Instead of trying so hard, I should just give up and be whatever it is I'm going to be.' So I shaved my hair off and got teased mercilessly. But I felt better."NAS ON FASHION: "Before I met Kelis, I wore Gucci or whatever was hot, says Nas, with admiration in his eyes. "I didn't dress badly, because there's no excuse to disrespect the gods of the stage with some bummy shit: I always say you better rob, cheat, or steal threads to look good up there because hip-hop is about being fresh from your head to toes.But this is a whole different level. Kelis has really made me get my spirit up and step up mu clothes game." SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Homo-Licious Boys of Making the Band

I've avoided doing posts about the latest season of Making the Band. The show has lost all creative energy after the Making the Band with the hip-hop group, which I lovingly referred to as "The Baps Show". Baps was truly the star, completely hood, wet and wavy weaves and slightly manish looks. Plus, she was great for the one-liners--who can forget, "Let 'em fight!" As she blinks her eyes, "Let 'em fight!"Making the Band 4 might as well be called Cocodrom 4 with a bunch of boys trapped in a house by a rich, older daddy instructing their every move. In the beginning, I tried to ignore their mannerisms that are questionable because damn it, I’m progressive; I know mannerisms do not equal sexuality! However, when I had to digest a full season of ungodly arched eyebrows, the glitzy beads, bangles and jewels decorated on their outfits and crying over haircuts...when that loc-headed boy had to cut his mane off in the barber shop and started bawling -- I hollered! All I needed was Tyra to walk in and say how disrespectful he was to criticize the greatest stylist in the business. Plus, it didn't help that the most masculine person on the show was Laurie Ann and she was tossed away like a used up power-bottom! Now, the clip below takes the gay heaven cake. After a restless night, the boys awaken feeling a bit feisty. One of the quaffed young men says, "Let's get Q's ass." I guess without any lube they decided on just having a water balloon fight!They fill hot pink balloons with water and prance around the apartment having a wet and wild, shirtless cat fight. Watch the clip below as they shriek (get into the scream at 41 seconds!), holler and skedaddle in front of the cameras. Honestly, I don't know if any of these boys are gay. Lord knows if they were they would be more talented! The season finale of Making the Band 4 airs Sunday, August 26th at 10pm. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Pitt study says black Americans exposed to more tobacco advertising

By Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Black Americans -- and the neighborhoods they inhabit -- are historically more likely to be targeted by tobacco advertisements than are white men and women, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study being published this month. The report is not earth-shaking, as previous research as well as unearthed tobacco industry documents have shown that blacks and other minorities were increasingly seduced by tobacco ads, especially after the 1970s when smoking rates began to drop among middle-class white populations. It's long been established, for example, that blacks were targeted more aggressively than white smokers by the purveyors of mentholized cigarettes. The Pitt report sought to enumerate that known advertising strategy by counting the total ads found in a given market, extracting the tobacco-related ads, then correlating that data with the population of that market. "We were able to quantify it a little bit better," said Dr. Brian Primack, lead author of the report, which contained no original research but instead culled data presented in other peer-review studies. The data came from markets in California, Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, Massachusetts and elsewhere. "Per person, there are 2.6 times as many ads" in black neighborhoods than in white neighborhoods, the data showed. That means if a white neighborhood had 1,000 tobacco ads, a black neighborhood would have 2,600. But what if there were more billboard and display ads overall in black neighborhoods? Pitt accounted for that possibility by counting not just the total number of ads per capita, but also the number of tobacco ads compared with all the others -- for cola, doughnuts, coffee, beef jerky and so on. The proportion of tobacco ads to non-tobacco ads was 70 percent higher in the black neighborhoods. The glaring hole in the research is the lack of data concerning modern-day advertising techniques, now that tobacco ads have been banned from radio, TV and billboards. Some of the data culled by the Pitt team goes back 20 years, when billboard tobacco ads were still legal. Today, tobacco marketing has shifted away from billboards and TV and into magazines, the Internet, even bars, where bubbly young women will offer free smokes or merchandise to people willing to give up their names and e-mail addresses. "That's something that definitely comes out of our article," Dr. Primack said. "We need to start looking at these things." The Pitt findings are buttressed by anecdotal documents released by the tobacco companies and Congress over the last decade. One 1973 Brown & Williamson document, for example, showed 17 percent of the company's promotional budget for Kools was spent on marketing to blacks, who made up 10 percent of the population, according to a New York Times story. Kools made a specific effort to market on buses and subways, since blacks disproportionately rely on public transit in most major cities, in hopes that Kool would "cover the top 25 markets in terms of absolute Negroes." A 1969 report from R.J. Reynolds, detailing buying habits of "ethnic markets," contained similarly anachronistic terminology. The documents were embarrassing to tobacco companies, even though it's true that almost any company with a national advertising budget is likely to use a variety of marketing campaigns targeting specific consumer segments, including black customers. The Pitt study is being published in the September/October issue of Public Health Reports, a peer-reviewed health journal that often publishes research related to tobacco control. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Wayans quit development talks

The decision by the Wayans Brothers-Pacifica Capital Urban Development Partnership came two weeks after signing an exclusive negotiating agreement to bring a state of the art film production studio, creative business park, retail village, children's educational fun zone, digital arts center and a luxury hotel to the former base, creating as many as 1,500 jobs in the process. City leaders approved the deal, despite disappointing results with a previous Wayans Brothers development team, hoping the Wayans OAKLAND — The Wayans Brothers development team pulled out of negotiations with the city over plans to build a movie studio and arts and retail center on the former Army base in West Oakland this week, leaving the future development of the base in question, city officials said Thursday evening.Brothers name and cache would help rejuvenate West Oakland and put Oakland on the map.But Pacific Capital's Britten Shuford wrote a letter to the city's redevelopment agency this week opting out of the negotiating agreement, said Karen Boyd, a spokeswoman for the cty administrator's office."They basically gave business reasons," she said. The development group had qualms over future development at the Port of Oakland on property adjacent to the old base, Boyd said, and over whether stacked shipping containers would block views of San Francisco Bay.The group also questioned the formula used to determine the fair market value of the land, It is still possible the city will reach a new agreement with the Wayans' development team in the future. Shuford said Thursday the team was "astonished" to learn last Friday that as part of its Port 21 berth expansion, the Port of Oakland planned to fill in 42 acres of shoreline adjacent to the group's planned development and use the land to stack shipping containers six to 15 stories high. which the redevelopment agency owns, Boyd said. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Breaching the Velvet Rope

Two guys brave obstacles in their efforts to open a Maxwell Park club that caters to lesbians. BySo two straight guys and a lesbian walk into the bar business ... and the punch line ain't pretty. Meet Bob Huff and Adam Afuvai, who, along with Afuvai's wife Stephanie Sulivan, own Velvet, a new women's venue in Oakland's Laurel District. Each has roughly two decades in the nightclub game. Now meet veteran DJ and party promoter Page Hodel, an out lesbian who worked with Afuvai at Club Townsend. She had previously run two successful GLBT dance parties in San Francisco: The Box from 1988 to 1999, and Club Q (every Thursday at Townsend) from 1987 to 2003. And she had the street cred three straight people would need to pass muster with the dyke community. When they decided to buy the space at 3411 MacArthur Boulevard, it was a hole-in-the-wall best known as the now-defunct American Indian bar Merel's Hilltop Tavern. Before that it was a biker hangout, says Huff, who grew up in nearby Maxwell Park and remembers seeing all the Harleys outside. Deciding that the space was well suited to serve a niche community, Afuvai did a little market research and found that the neighborhood housed a burgeoning population of lesbians who'd been priced out of San Francisco, but lacked their own watering hole. Huff corroborated his findings, and when Afuvai asked Hodel for input, she said the place was sorely needed. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Apology for slavery would be nice, but not enough

BY DEWAYNE WICKHAM  --- At long last, this nation is on the verge of apologizing for its greatest sin. During separate meetings in Las Vegas with members of the Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama embraced the idea of a national expression of regret for slavery. That's a good thing. But where does it leave us? For 246 years, slavery was a widely accepted part of the fabric of American life. The enslavement of millions of blacks - and the neo-slavery that emerged during the Jim Crow era after slavery was abolished in 1865 - fueled this nation's economy for nearly three and a half centuries. "I think an apology for slavery is a good idea to consider," Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination said. "A number of states are now doing it ... like Virginia, the capital of the old Confederacy. So, there is an evolution that is taking place here." In fact, four states - Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia - have formally apologized for their role in this nation's slave trade. But so far, neither Congress nor a sitting president has mustered the courage to do so. CLINTON CAME CLOSEThen-President Bill Clinton came close during a trip to Africa in 1998. During a stop in Uganda he said, "Going back to the time before we were even a nation, European-Americans received the fruits of the slave trade and we were wrong in that." Hillary Clinton, the former president's wife, made it clear she's willing to go further, if she makes it into the White House. "What the states are doing could be given more prominence if the federal government were to say ... we need to do this as well," she told the black columnists. When we met with Obama a day later, he told us, "I could see the need for an expanded conversation about slavery because I don't think that we've ever fully acknowledged the cost of slavery. If I'm president, certainly I could issue an apology. But I'm not sure ... that's what would transform the country." NO RIGHTING THESE WRONGS A national apology for slavery from the president and Congress could have a cathartic effect for many black people, but it wouldn't be enough to right the wrongs that racial inequities - the awful byproduct of slavery - have produced. What am I talking about? For about as long as anyone can remember, the black unemployment rate has been double the rate for whites. Some will argue that black joblessness is driven by a lack of education. But that doesn't explain how in July, the unemployment rate for blacks with a high school degree (7.3 percent) was higher than the rate for white high school dropouts (5.9 percent). And black people whose education extends beyond a bachelor's degree were no more successful finding work than white job seekers who had attended college but didn't receive a degree. Both groups had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. NUMBERS DON'T LIEAs bad as this is, there's more that an apology for slavery wouldn't correct. In 2005, the most recent year for which data is available, black people with a bachelor's degree earned $1,500 less, on average, than white high school graduates. Black people with a master's degree earned an average $56,477 while whites with a master's degree earned an average $69,535. And blacks with doctoral degrees were paid nearly $12,000 a year less than whites with the same education, according to census figures. It's good that several states have apologized for participating in slavery. And a formal expression of regret from Congress and the president could help heal some of the wounds that slavery opened - wounds that still fester. But words alone won't be enough to undo this nation's most troubling racial inequities. Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer

Career interrupted

    

I woke up this morning, having had my fill yesterday of seven hours of the Michael Vick coverage,  and I thought: How strange is this fall going to be without Vick? Don't get me wrong. I'm not sad that he's going to get what's coming to him, because what he did to those dogs was despicable. But from a football standpoint, there's a part of me that wonders what this season is going to be like on Sunday nights without Vick to criticize, celebrate, debate over and ooh-and-aah over? Think back a minute. Think of how much time we've spent the last six seasons discussing the merits of Vick, ripping him for being a 53 percent passer one month, passing judgment that he's finally arrived as a complete quarterback the next month, talking about how he's a coach-killer the next month. He's been a weekly Desperate Housewives episode. Glamorous, exciting. Uplifting, a letdown. And now, justifiably, he's gone. My guess is for three seasons, but maybe forever. As I thought back on his career, I remembered his best NFL game. Not statistically, but in impact. In his second season, Vick and the Falcons went to a snowy Lambeau Field to take on the Packers, who at the time were unbeatable in the snow and in the playoffs at home. Then Vick came to town. This is what I wrote after the game: An hour after the biggest win of his football life, Michael Vick was outside Lambeau Field late Saturday night, dressed only in a blue suit and matching blue shirt. Snow swirled around his head, some flakes nesting in his close-cropped hair. Vick loved being outside at this moment, just soaking in the historic 27-7 Atlanta victory over Green Bay. He didn't look cold. Just cool. "This game defines why the Falcons drafted me," the 22 year-old quarterback said happily. "I can't help it. I'm just so proud of myself." Vick had plenty of help from his friends in handing Green Bay its first home playoff loss in the 82-year history of the franchise. Running back Warrick Dunn had 104 rushing and receiving yards combined, and backup T.J. Duckett broke loose several times, including a six-yard touchdown run up the middle. The offense controlled the clock for 36 minutes and did not commit a turnover. The defense forced five turnovers, including three by Brett Favre, who threw his second interception of the day and fumbled once while desperately trying to rally the Packers from a 24-0 halftime deficit. Linebacker Mark Simoneau blocked a punt deep in Green Bay territory, and linebacker Artie Ulmer recovered the ball and rolled one yard for a touchdown. Vick's numbers weren't spectacular: 13-of-25 passing for 117 yards and one touchdown, plus 10 rushes for 64 yards. But this game was not about stats, it was about Vick's commanding presence. He did what he wanted when he wanted, most spectacularly late in the first half, on a third-and-three play at the Packers' 39. Vick rolled to the left and was about to be sacked for a huge loss, but he escaped the clutches of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila near the sideline, reversed field and left four more Green Bay players in his wake for an 11-yard gain. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

New Raisin in the Sun Movie Sets Post-Oscar 2008 Airdate on ABC

The ABC adaptation of the 2004 Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun will air on the network on February 25, 2008, the day following its Oscar telecast. The film will reunite director Kenny Leon and the stars of the acclaimed revival—Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan. Also reprising his stage role is Bill Nunn as Bobo. Also featured in the adaptation are John Stamos as Carl Lindner, Sean Patrick Thomas as George, David Oyelowo as Asagai, Justin Martin as Travis, Ron C. Jones as Willy and Emily Swiss as Priscilla.A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of three generations of a family living and struggling together under one roof. The Youngers—Mama (Rashad), her children Beneatha (Lathan) and Walter Lee (Combs), and his wife Ruth (McDonald) and their son Travis—live on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s. It is a place in which dreams, like the raisin in the Langston Hughes' poem from which the play takes its title, wither and die if nothing is done with them. With these leads, the show had a limited engagement at Broadway's Royale Theatre from March 30, 2004, through July 11, 2004. The stage production, directed by Kenny Leon, received mixed reviews, but was a big hit at the box office. Rashad and McDonald won Tony Awards for their performances.Featuring a screenplay by Paris Qualles, based on Hansberry's original text, the movie will be executive produced by Sony Pictures TV-based producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (aka Storyline Entertainment), Combs' Bad Boy World Wide Entertainment Group and Broadway producers Carl Rumbaugh, Susan Batson and David Binder. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

The Ericka Lewis Interview

By Vanessa Lake -- In life people will tell you, focus on one thing at a time or you will most likely not succeed. For some if not most I would say that statement is true, but then you have the few and far in between that can juggle many things at one time and succeed. Also, you will probably come across some parents who do not understand just how much of a significant impact they have in their child/children’s life, not to mention how important communication and love is. This applies to grandparents as well. Parents and grandparents can help make or break the child/children’s spirit and future pertaining to what they accomplish as adults. Memories live longer than people do. Memories that are good are blessings. Some memories that are bad can turn out to be a blessing in disguise, and of course there are the bad memories that are just plain bad. A young lady by the name of Erick Lewis seems to have memories that helped mold her into the warrior she is today, she juggles many professions at one time successfully. She is a personal trainer, aerobic Instructor; she has a Cardio Combo DVD coming out very soon. Not to mention she has a charitable heart and she deals with an outreach program that caters to grandparents who have love in their hearts taking on the responsible of raising their grandchildren. The program provides them with respite care which means mini vacations; the program also supplies food and rental assistance. Love and charitable hearts go a long way. We need more people like them in the world.
Vanessa: Ericka, what do you do first and for most?
Ericka: First and foremost I am blessed to do many things; I am a personal trainer, aerobic Instructor, a business woman and last but definitely not least a charitable soul who loves to help people.
Vanessa: Wow, you must have a lot of energy, how did you get started and how long have you been certified?
Ericka: Well, I started going to the gym and I was going 5 days out of the week. I was basically there a lot and I wanted to become a personal trainer, so I did, it motivated me to motivate others and I’ve been certified for two years. 
Vanessa: How did you become an aerobic instructor?
Ericka: Well that was a surprise. My manager received a phone call one day from one of the aerobic instructors stating that she couldn’t come in. My manager automatically suited me for the position and I accepted. I was a little nervous in the beginning naturally because I never instructed a class before, see a personal trainer is a one on one situation. An aerobic instructor instructs a full class, see the difference. To my surprise I did better than I expected and my manager was pleased as well. People started requesting me and the next thing I knew my manager put me on the schedule, and that is how I became an aerobic instructor.
Vanessa: What original emotion/s made you choose this profession; some people do it because their vain you do not strike me as that type?
Ericka: You are accurate in your assumption. The emotions that lead me here were insecurity, anger, and disappointment.
Vanessa: Where did these emotions come from?
Ericka: My childhood, as a child believe it or not I was over weight and constantly  reminded by my father how fat I was day in and day out, he even had little fat knick names for me. I don’t think he realized how that affected me. I didn’t even understand how it would affect me, until later, I don’t think my father knew what he was doing was hurtful. Other than that he is a good man. My grandmother was really nice she would  bake my favorite biscuits and she would always let me lick the bowl.  Not to mention her and my mom would give me anything I wanted especially when it came to food.

Vanessa: You mentioned you didn’t realize the effects it had on you, when did you realize?
Ericka: When I wanted to be a ballerina they weighed me for the recital and said I was over the required weight. I was a child and no one ever said words like, (no Ericka, no more or that’s enough). I’m sure they meant well. It was then my eyes were opened to my reality. I knew I had to make a change, but don’t forget I was still a child, but now more conscious.
Vanessa: You mentioned your father called you names, what about the children in school? 
Ericka: In school they were just plain mean. They called me fat black and ugly.
Vanessa: Well Ericka, those three names do not represent who I, Vanessa Lake see before me. Who I see before me is a beautiful warrior princess; those are the three words that best represent you. Ericka you have a lot of great things ahead of you to accomplish so don’t let no one stand in your way, including you..
Ericka: Thank you
Vanessa: You’re welcome; By the way what are your career goals?
Ericka: One out of my many career goals is my Cardio Combo DVD called E Fit.

Vanessa: What is E Fit about?
Ericka: E Fit is a 45 minute long Cardio Combo fitness video with a combination of effective moves. At the end there is a 15 minute segment with us communicating with each other about what results we want and expect to get. I want to take fitness to another level. I want to get people to a point where they have self assurance and self acceptance.
Vanessa: I assume you have different nationalities male and female gay and straight that are serious about working out. Is there any difference in the way your client’s workout or deal with health regimens?
Ericka: Everyone is welcome, whether different nationality, male or female, gay or straight. Different people work out different areas of their body. It all depends on the individual. Health regimens are different for different people but everyone seems serious. One thing I must mention, and that is most men on a whole do not like taking aerobic classes. A few do, most don’t. 
Vanessa: Any advice to those looking to get into shape and maintaining it?
Ericka: Yes, I’m glad you ask. There are some books I highly recommend to assist people on their journey to better health. “Body Sculpting Bible for men”, “Body Sculpting for women” and “Body Sculpting for Abs”, by James Villepigue & Hugo Rivera. “Eat To Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D., “Muscle Fitness for Her bi monthly magazine and “Science To Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles.
Vanessa: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers pertaining to the right knowledge wisdom and understanding about health and fitness?
Ericka: Yes, I love the questions you ask. Stay away from steroids. Steroids are like a death sentence; it deteriorates the brain and creates an emotional imbalance. It is a harmful addiction. It can cause irregular heart beats anxiety attacks and aging. Also high fructose corn syrup is not good for you please start reading labels especially when you go to the supermarket. What you don’t know can hurt you and cause later complications.
Vanessa: I ask you a couple of questions ago about career goals do you have anymore?
Ericka: Yes, I have an active wear line that is called Impartations and the mantra of the line is revelation and fashion to live by. All the statements that appear on the garments are to motivate, encourage and empower the person wearing it and the person reading it to know that there is greatness in side of them.   
Vanessa: That sounds really good; people need to be inspired by any means necessary. Do you have any other garments other than t-shirts?
Ericka: Yes, there are T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, yoga pants, ballet bags, and gym bags.

Vanessa: Ericka you are doing so much, when do you think you would retire?
Ericka: I do not believe in retirement, there is always something to do and I intend to do it all, including acting. 
Vanessa: You have done so much and I applaud you and your willingness to do more. Please keep up the good work and thank you for taking your negative memories as a child and making them a blessing to us all.
Ericka: Thank you so much, I really enjoyed being interviewed by you. You keep up the good work as well.

INSIDE THE DJ BOOTH WIZ AFTER PARTY

Countrywide Borrows $11.5 Billion

NEW YORK (Aug. 16) - The nation's largest mortgage lender borrowed $11.5 billion from a group of 40 banks to fund new loans, in a move that shows just how deep the lending crisis has become.
Countrywide Financial Corp. said Thursday it made the move amid a credit crunch that has driven a number of its smaller peers to bankruptcy. "Countrywide has taken decisive steps which we believe will address the challenges arising in this environment and enable the company to meet its funding needs and continue growing its franchise," Countrywide President and Chief Operating Officer David Sambol said in a statement. The credit worries have grown as the secondary market for mortgages all but disappeared in recent weeks. Investors have worried about the value of loans and rising delinquencies and defaults. Mortgage lenders rely on the secondary markets to borrow money to make more loans. The problems started as subprime mortgages - loans given to customers with poor credit history - started going delinquent and defaulting at faster rates. The problems have spread to the broader mortgage market, making investors nervous about nearly all types of loans that cannot be purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac . Such "conforming" loans are considered safer because Fannie and Freddie are government-sponsored entities. Countrywide said some 90 percent of the loans it originates from now on will be conforming loans or will meet its internal bank criteria. By adjusting its product mix to originate Fannie and Freddie-approved loans almost exclusively, Countrywide will be cutting out most subprime, alt-A and jumbo loan products. Alt-A mortgages are given to customers who either have minor credit problems or who cannot provide full income documentation required to get a traditional prime loan. Jumbo loans are mortgages for more than $417,000, the cap at which Fannie and Freddie will purchase loans. Jumbo loans typically are given to customers with excellent credit history. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

SNEAK PEEK: WHY DID I GET MARRIED

Illegal Tender

Wilson De Leon, Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) is an exceptional college student with an adoring girlfriend, doting mother and a future full of promise. He has never wanted for anything, and he has never been forced to stand his ground. But when ghosts from his mother’s past come back to haunt his present, he must defend his family...and quickly turn into the strong man his father prayed he’d become. VIEW THE TRAILER After the gangsters who killed his father come to settle a score, a teenage boy and his mother turn the tables on the killers. Producer John Singleton (Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow) and writer/director Franc. Reyes (Empire) join forces to tell the story of one Latino family’s quest for honor and revenge as the hunted become the hunters in the new thriller Illegal Tender. Wilson DeLeon, Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) is an exceptional college student with an adoring girlfriend, doting mother and a future full of promise. He has never wanted for anything, and he has never been forced to stand his ground. But when ghosts from his mother’s past come back to haunt his present, he must defend his family ... and quickly turn into the strong man his father prayed he’d become. Nothing could stop Wilson’s mother, Millie (Wanda De Jesús), from protecting her two boys. Forced to flee her home after gangsters killed her husband, she made an oath to give her children only the best. But all that changes when an enemy from the past catches up with them. It’s finally time to take action — and now, they’re done running. Weapons at the ready, Wilson, Jr. and Millie prepare for a final showdown with the murderer who robbed him of a father and her of a husband. Now, in a battle fueled by family ties and blood feuds, it will become very clear what happens when anyone tries to come between this son and his mother. Written by Universal Pictures

Notorious Casting for B.I.G. Biopic

This past Monday (August 13), Fox Searchlight Pictures began an open casting call for actors to play the role of Christopher Wallace, better known to his fans as the Notorious B.I.G., in an upcoming biopic of his life. While some may feel that this film represents a major step toward the late great Biggie getting his just recognition as an artist, if one looks closer, one has to wonder why such an influential urban artist is having his role cast in such a way. One would have trouble imagining the Johnny Cash biopic cast in similar fashion. Similarly, when the Ray Charles biopic was being cast, intense scrutiny was put into finding the right actor to play the role, with Jamie Foxx going on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of the late, great musician. Why, then, is the biopic of the Notorious B.I.G., an artist who is perhaps more influential to his genre than both Cash and Charles were to theirs receiving such cursory attention to his own biopic? The answer would seem to lie in the fact that America is still uncomfortable with the idea of rapper as artist. Regardless of records sold, artists influenced, or genres dominated, a hip hop talent such as Biggie is still viewed by those in the entertainment industry with the deepest pockets as a sideshow, something that is only accessible to niche audiences. As such, the biopic of the most influential East Coast rap artist ever is treated not as an opportunity to educate the masses about the way one man can rise from poverty to achieve success and influence beyond death, but rather as a cheap money grab. The open casting call reeks of penny pinching, and quite literally shortchanges the incredible depth that the Notorious B.I.G. character has as both artist and man. How will looking and sounding like Christopher Wallace help an actor capture the complicated relationship between Biggie and his “beef” with the west coast? What about the deep friendship, yet equally complicated business and personal relationship with millionaire mogul Sean Combs, who built an empire on his best friend’s memory. And what about the way a morbidly obese man who dominated a genre built on sex and violence brought a charm to both his persona and music that made his closest friends view him as one of rap’s first “ladies men”? Make no mistake, this is more than just unfortunate. This would be unfortunate if a lesser studio lacked the money to cast a talented, capable actor to fill the role of such a complex individual. In the hands of a major studio like Fox, this is an insult to hip-hop, and to the memory of one of its pioneers. Fans of Biggie’s music know how much the man’s image and persona resonate throughout hip-hop to this day. No cheap search for an apt impressionist will ever do justice to the depth of that resonance. Instead, all we get is a hollow shell that is devoid of the one thing Biggie’s career should have earned above all else: Respect. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Cultural Shorthand

I spent the weekend watching a couple of American movie classics: Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960) and William Wyler’s Dodsworth (1936). Though produced nearly 30 years apart, what these flicks had in common was their singular ability to convey a sense of place. Geographically, yes, but more importantly, place as it pertains to cultural conventions, social strata and the human condition. Then I watched Big Mama's House (2000) starring Martin Lawrence. Heaven help us if the same principles apply. Wyler’s Dodsworth goes back to the more formal comportment of 1940’s America, and tackles the topic of morality as hero Sam Dodsworth struggles to preserve the relationship between himself, a man on the brink of retirement, and his wife, a middle-aged woman raging against the realities of middle age. Dodsworth dutifully trots along behind his wife through Paris, then Switzerland, then Vienna, watching her throw herself into one infatuation after another, finally demanding a divorce from the husband who simply “adores her.” She gets her comeuppance in the end, but the sharp morality tale comes across in a cornucopia of drawing room banter and cultural cues. In The Apartment, insurance adjuster Jack Lemmon is punked into loaning out his Brooklyn flat to several philandering executives within his company. The payoff? A swift ascent up the corporate ladder. The lonely Lemmon complies without much pushback until Fred MacMurray, (in a very anti-My Three Sons turn as the married senior exec macking his way through the secretarial pool) escorts Shirley McLaine (elevator operator and the object of Lemmon’s unrequited love) to his flat for a little quality time. Naturally, it all works out in the end, but a crisp picture of the 1960s culture of highballs, white-collar industry and key-swapping morality was smartly delivered and abundantly clear. Gentlemen, start your dictaphones. Fast-forward forty-something years to Big Mama, where our cultural snapshot consists of Martin Lawrence cross-dressing in micro braids and a fat suit. Lawrence revels in the ethnic stereotypes of Black women as tacky, loud and overweight. Where’s the sophistication? The redemption? Certainly not in the spa scene where a gross and naked Big Mama is surrounded by skinny blondes turning up their noses at the smell as Mama’s hot stone treatment turns into something akin to sizzling bacon. What about our human condition? Our humanity? And, oh yeah, while we’re at it, our dignity? SOURCE OF THIS POST

Blackface Exhibit/ Rush Hour 3

This weekend I saw the exhibit at New York’s Schomburg Center called "Stereotypes vs. Humantypes." It displays hundreds of images from pop culture of "toms, bucks and coons; Jezabels and mammies; sambos and savages; picanninnies, grotesque buffons, menial servants and no good niggers." It was fascinating to see how the images were used to sell products - everything from food to entertainment. I wasn’t as enthralled by the "humantypes" section - the exhibit contrasts the stereotypical depictions with photos of real African-Americans from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. These images are interesting in and of themselves, and some of the portraits are beautiful. It seems too defensive, however, to have the two different kinds of images in the same show, as if the curators thought proof was necessary that black people don’t look like the racist caricatures. I haven’t seen Rush Hour 3, and probably won’t, but reading the review in the New York Times I thought of the Schomburg exhibit. Manohla Dargis calls the film "stupid," "ugly" and "grimly unfunny." She ends her review this way: "It would be nice if [Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker] could find mainstream projects that didn’t insist that the only way an Asian man and an African-American man can hold the screen together is if they engage in mutual abasement and self-humiliation. It would be nicer still if Mr. Chan didn’t have to play the sexual neuter and Mr. Tucker stopped popping his eyeballs." SOURCE OF THIS STORY