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KANYE WEST GLOW IN THE DARK

Check out this futuristic concert poster for the sure-to-be hot seller, "Glow In The Dark".Kanye West will be going on tour in support of his Grammy-nominated album, "Graduation" with N.E.R.D, Rihanna, and Lupe Fiasco.

Visit here for additional promo shots.

PEPSI STUFF FEATURING JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Stanley Bennett Clay Reviews Boy Culture

BOY CULTURE [A romantic comedy film starring Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens and Jonathan Treat. Directed by Q. Allan Brocka. Now available on DVD through amazon.com and various retail outlets.] Reviewed by Stanley Bennett Clay Author of “Looker” Boy Culture is a near-perfect gem of a film that deals with love, family, and sex within the gay male community sensitively, humorously, and intelligently.X, our narrator, is a cynical high-end hustler with a regular clientele limited to twelve. When one of his johns commits suicide, the open slot is given to a distinguished but mysterious older gentleman of considerable means (played with quiet dignity by British veteran Patrick Bauchau).Although the story of X and the older gent Gregory is a moving, surprising, and integral part of the film, it is X’s communal relationship with his two roommates that fuels this unconventionally told tale. Twentysomething-year-olds X and Andrew are, more or less, parents to eighteen-year-old boy toy Joey who has the hots for X who has the hots for Andrew.These three beautiful men percolate with sexual tension as their mutant platonic ménage a trois continuously threatens to boil over into the real deal as they self-examine their quests toward or retreats from carnal gratification, boyfriendhood and/or true love.They’re quite a family, these three, at once looking out for each other and constantly jealous of each other as only jealous lovers can be.Sick of waiting for each other to come around, lines are ultimately crossed inflicting deep wounds that cause each of our handsome and endearing heroes to duck for cover. X backs into his emotional suit of armor when his exposed feelings for Andrew are suddenly muted by the unexpected appearance of a straight boy Andrew had a crush on that is now not so straight. X’s paternal feelings toward Joey genuinely anguish the sexy teen whose declaration of love and the offer of his hot young sex, engender no more than a pat on the head from the hustling vet. Andrew, open to love, but on his own terms (well sort of), hides behind principles and the fear of pain. Oh, by the way, did I happen to mention that Andrew is African-American? Well he is, and it doesn’t come up much in the film either. There's a great segment in the film when Andrew and X take a trip to the wedding of Andrew's ex-beard and the two men sleep over at the home of Andrew's middle-class black parents. The segment is funny, sophisticated, surprising, and visionary. Obama would be proud. Besting his performance as the title character in TV’s first black gay series (“Noah’s Arc”), Darryl Stephens is nothing short of miraculous here. Sure-footed and solidly grounded, he underlines his considerable sensuality with an unmannered self-dignity that layers his performance with a dark, juxtaposing self-doubt. It is easy to see why X, who is strictly sex-for-pay-and-love-no-way, fights, what seems to be a losing battle, his deep-rooted feelings for Andrew from the first reel. Jonathan Trent as Joey is quite funny as the great young tragedian in the Heart Wars. His lovelorn teen angst is never far from the surface of his gawking, non-stereotypical flamboyance. You certainly understand why the two older roomies take him and keep him under their wings. And then there is Derek Magyar. He is perfectly absorbing as X. Casually capturing our sympathy and concern from beginning to end, he serves the glib, but telling narration with an admirable lack of histrionics and dramatic filigree, and as our MAIN main character, he keeps us glued to the story, his story, with a seamless clinch. Not bad for a hooker who flatly admits that he lays ‘em, gets paid, and gets out. Finally, the technical aspects of this small budget film shot in 18 days as very, very good. The cinematography is beautifully evocative of the city of Seattle where our story takes place, and the actors are lit with great care. Set designs are also wonderful and well dressed. Thanks to X’s phat hooker income, the loft apartment which he shares with Andrew and Joey (he only charges them rent on paper in order to get around any IRS suspicions about his income) is straight out of Architectural Digest. The script is very smart without being smart-ass, written with a great care for real human emotion, with all its warts, whimsies, humor and forlornness. Director Q. Allan Brocka has done an outstanding job on little money, which just goes to show that all a really good film needs is a really talented director who knows how to gather and orchestrate a collection of artists who are truly his creative equals. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

TAVIS SMILEY LOOKING FOR 'UNCONDITIONAL LOVE': Journalist needs submissions for new book.

SmileyBooks, the publishing company founded by Tavis Smiley, has launched a national campaign to generate submissions for his next book Love Wins: True Stories of Transformation and Triumph.      

The book will be a collection of real life stories that give voice to the transforming power of unconditional love."Too often 21st century living has a way of disconnecting us from that divine power within," says Smiley. "Love Wins is an expression of faith that we can reconnect with love's power - to positively transform each other and the world we live in." The true stories featured in Love Wins will range from 500 to 1,200 words in length. Contributors' bios will be included along with their selection and each author will receive a complimentary autographed first edition copy of Love Wins. In addition to the entries included in the book, SmileyBooks will feature additional selections on www.tavistalks.com. Details on the Love Wins submissions guidelines can be found by clicking on the Love Wins banner at the bottom of the page at www.tavistalks.com/media/smileybooks.       

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ALICIA KEYS LAUNCHES 'AS I AM' CONTEST: Effort aims to boost awareness of her Keep A Child Alive charity.

Alicia Keys has teamed with Seattle-based online and mobile community Treemo to launch the "As I Am"The contest celebrates the third track on the album titled "Superwoman" by allowing fans to create a Treemo.com account at http://alicia.treemo.com and upload via their mobile phone or web, a photo, video, or text, telling a story about someone they know who is a "Superwoman."Treemo will donate $1 to KCA for every user who enters the "As I Am" contest, up to $10,000. Keys is the Global Ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, a charity providing an urgent response to the AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa. "This contest and Treemo's support will not only increase our ability to spread the word about the realities of this pandemic, but also recruit more potential donors who can easily see they can indeed save the life of someone who needs their help. It's only $1 a day to sustain a life; it's time we all start giving a buck," said Leigh Blake, Founder and President of KCA. KCA provides comprehensive AIDS care to over 20,000 people living with AIDS; including provision of life-saving AIDS medications, nutritional support and treatment for AIDS-related illnesses. For more information about Keep A Child Alive, visit http://www.keepachildalive.org/. 

AU chief urges Kenya resolution

The crisis in Kenya is expected to dominate an African Union summit starting in Addis Ababa.Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki is among more than 40 heads of state gathering in the Ethiopian capital for the three-day meeting. The AU chairman said it was "Today it is the responsibility of the African Union to solve this problem," said Alpha Konare. He was referring to the inter-tribal violence that has killed more than 800 Kenyans in the past month, and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.Mr Konare also criticised the 53-member union for not doing enough to address issues in Africa and around the world. No 'blank cheque' While the billed theme of this year's summit is industrialization, Kenya is likely to be a focal topic. Jendayi Frazer, the top US envoy to Africa on Wednesday described the forced removal of people from Kenya's Rift Valley as ethnic cleansing. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to tell the organisation of the need for a peaceful compromise in a country whose stability is seen as key for the region. "The Kenyan crisis is a serious one and we cannot simply condone what the Kibaki regime is trying to feed us," one member of the AU commission told the AFP news agency."The government will not be given a blank cheque at this summit." Sudan and Somalia The AU's peacekeeping operations in Sudan and Somalia are also expected to be on the agenda. The AU and the United Nations have promised to create the world's largest peacekeeping force in Darfur to replace the troubled region's current undermanned and under-equipped AU force. Mr Ban is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa for talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir about the proposed 26,000 hybrid force. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

FBI investigating 14 companies for mortgage fraud

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Complaints about potential mortgage fraud are up during the subprime mortgage crisis, and the FBI has opened criminal investigations of 14 companies related to subprime mortgage loans, the agency said Tuesday.The FBI did not identify the companies. Neil Power, chief of the FBI economic crimes unit, attributed the increase "to good old-fashioned greed." "On insider trading, we're looking in some cases at whether executives were aware that the value of their holdings would be going down and the executives traded on that information," said Power."On accounting fraud, we're looking at housing developers who may have reported cash reserve accounts to reflect falsely inflated values," he told CNN. Power and other senior officials said the number of suspicious activity reports they review for potential investigation skyrocketed from 3,000 in fiscal year 2003 to about 35,000 in 2006, to 48,000 in 2007. And in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, Power said, officials have already received 15,000 such reports, putting them on pace to receive 60,000 complaints this year. The FBI said it investigates only cases involving losses of $500,000 or more, and last year 56 percent of all cases had losses of more than $1 million. The number of pending cases swelled from 800 in fiscal year 2006 to 1,200 in 2007. Kenneth Kaiser, FBI assistant director for the Criminal Investigative Division, said the FBI has developed an initiative focused on subprime mortgage loan fraud and is working with investigators from other federal agencies. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

R&B Divas Sing Songs of Praise

Grammy-winning R&B singer Regina Belle is readying her first full-length gospel recording. The CD, titled 'Love Forever Shines,' will hit stores this spring on Pendulum Records, which is distributed by Fontana Distribution. The 44-year old singer, born in Englewood, New Jersey, is no stranger to the gospel community, most recently being featured on a song called 'My Offering' on Nolan Williams, Jr.'s CD, 'inSpiration.' place Atlanta in 2007. In 1994, Belle won a Grammy alongside Peabo Bryson for the duet, 'A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme).The song also won an Oscar for Best Song. Song stylist Patti Austin is gearing up for her next CD, which is being dubbed as an "inspirational pop" record. The 58-year-old diva has already penned one track with songwriter Gordon Chambers (Anita Baker/Yolanda Adams) and also has plans to collaborate with Brenda Russell (Oleta Adams/Patti LaBelle) and singer/songwriter Gloria Loring, who happens to be the mother of R&B star Robin Thicke Austin will begin production on the compilation in mid-February, with an anticipated release of May 2008.The Harlem, New York-bred talent was nominated for both a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album, as well as a 2008 NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz Performance for her CD 'Avant Gershwin.'The one-time plus-sized singer topped the scales at 300 pounds before having gastric bypass surgery in 2005 after discovering she was a candidate for a stroke, is the goddaughter of music icon Quincy Jones and in the March issue of Interview magazine, the singer interviews Jones about his 75^th birthday. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Covergirl: D. Woods gets Special Edition

D. Woods of Danity Kane, stepped out to cover the second of the King Magazine's double issue for March with her own Special Edition. As you may have read earlier, Danity Kane as a group cover the first one. King Mag is definitely her key demographic, so I am sure the fellas are thankful for the double issue.

Becoming a Black Man

Louis Mitch ell expected a lot of change when he began taking injections of hormones eight years ago to transition from a female body to a male one. He anticipated that he’d grow a beard, which he eventually did and enjoys now. He knew his voice would deepen and that his relationship with his partner, family and friends would change in subtle and, he hoped, good ways, all of which happened. What he had not counted on was changing the way he drove. Within months of starting male hormones, “I got pulled over 300 percent more than I had in the previous 23 years of driving, almost immediately. It was astounding,” says Mitchell, who is Black and transitioned while living in the San Francisco area and now resides in Springfield, Massachusetts. Targeted for “driving while Black” was not new to Mitchell, who is 46 years old. For example, a few years before transitioning, he had been questioned by a cop for simply sitting in his own car late at night. But “he didn’t really sweat me too much once he came up to the car and divined that I was female,” Mitchell recalls. Now in a Black male body, however, Mitchell has been pulled aside for small infractions. When he and his wife moved from California to the East Coast, Mitchell refused to let her drive on the cross-country trip. “She drives too fast,” he says, chuckling and adding, “I didn’t want to get pulled over. It took me a little bit longer [to drive cross country] ‘cause I had to drive like a Black man. I can’t be going 90 miles an hour down the highway. If I’m going 56, I need to be concerned.” As more people of color transition, Mitchell’s experience is becoming an increasingly common one. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Ecuador investigates Galapagos Islands slaughter of more than 50 sea lions

Ecuadorean authorities are investigating the clubbing deaths of more than 50 Galapagos Islands sea lions found in January with their skulls cracked, a state prosecutor said Tuesday. The killings had to be committed by humans, said Jaime Estevez, who called it the work of "the criminal mind of some people who enjoy watching these animals suffer." Estevez said it will be hard to determine who killed the animals, including 13 pups. There is no permanent guard at the site, La Pinta island at the northern end of the archipelago 625 miles off Ecuador's Pacific coast. There were no injuries other than strong blows to the head, ruling out the possibility that the animals were killed for their parts. The Galapagos Islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for their unique plant and animal life, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Charles Darwin's observations of the islands' finches inspired his theory of evolution. Animals in the Galapagos, Ecuador's top tourist destination, are usually not afraid of people and are known to approach tourists there. Last year, UNESCO added the archipelago to its list of World Heritage Sites in danger from environmental threats or overuse and is monitoring Ecuador's efforts to protect the area from ruin. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

McCain Defeats Romney in Florida Republican Primary

Sen. John McCain has defeated former Gov. Mitt Romney in the coveted GOP Florida primary, sending him to next week's critical Feb. 5 multistate battle a bona fide Republican front-runner. This is McCain's third primary win, having garnered victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, but the first in a Republicans-only contest that excluded independent voters. Just a few months after his campaign was all but dismissed and was struggling in polls on reports of lackluster fundraising and staff shake-ups, the Arizona senator now has national momentum. "Our victory may not have reached landslide proportions but it is sweet nonetheless," McCain told cheering supporters at a rally in Miami, who yelled "Mac is back!"
"This was a hard-fought election that was worth fighting hard for," he said. "My friends, in one week we will have as close to a national primary as we've ever had in this country," he said. "I intend to win it and be the nominee of our party." McCain's victory in the Sunshine State earns him all of Florida's 57 delegates, making him the Republican with the most delegates so far in a race looking increasingly like a delegate-war.

Giuliani's Florida Bid Crushed

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are fighting for third place. The outcome is a crushing blow to the presidential aspirations of Giuliani, who gambled his entire campaign on winning the Florida primary, effectively skipping the earlier state contests. "It not over until it's over," Giuliani told supporters at a rally in Orlando, repeating the comment back to someone who first yelled it from the crowd. "Like most Americans, I love competition. I don't back down from a principled fight," Giuliani said. "The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign. If you believe in a cause, it goes on and you continue to fight for it and we will," he said to cheers from the crowd.

Sharpton to Bill Clinton: 'Shut Up'

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Rev. Al Sharpton on Monday weighed in on the raging debate inside the Democratic Party over former President Bill Clinton's advocacy on behalf of his wife's campaign, with two choice words for the former president: "Shut up." On ABC's "The View," Sharpton said voters are hearing "race charges, race-tinged rhetoric" in the Democratic primary campaign, and called on the former president to cease. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

"I think it's time for him to just be quiet," said Sharpton, who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2004. "I think it's time for him to stop. As one of the most outspoken people in America, there's a time to shut up, and I think that time has come." Sharpton didn't say which comments in particular bothered him. But many Democrats were particularly upset that the former president made an explicit comparison of Obama's campaign to Jesse Jackson's victories in South Carolina in 1984 and 1988, in an apparent attempt to explain why his wife didn't win the South Carolina primary on Saturday. For his part, Jackson told The New York Times that he wasn't bothered by the comparison. Still, he told the newspaper that he had spoken to both Obama and President Clinton over the weekend, and told both to "take it to a higher ground." SOURCE OF THIS STORY

 

 

Chris Webber going back to his old roots, and Jason Kidd might too

Chris Webber says he’ll be with his Golden State Warrior teammates tomorrow after agreeing to sign a 1.2 prorated deal.  I hope he kept himself in shape because the Warriors have a run and gun offense.  He’s been busy making beats for Nas among other hip hop artists.  Jason Kidd asked to be traded and the Dallas Mavericks seem to be very interested.  The Lakers failed to get Webber, will they acquire Kidd or will he also return to his old roots? SOURCE OF THIS STORY

D. Woods on SOHH.TV

D.Woods talks about her experiences on Making the Band IV.

Caption Diss: KELLY ROWLAND

  As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. For Caption Diss, SOHH is asking you, the reader, to tell us what those words are...just keep it short. The person who coins the wittiest caption wins.
Nothing seems to be working for Kelly Rowland when it comes to getting out of Beyonce's huge shadow. So when all else fails, the Destiny's Child songstress is all for slipping into something a little more revealing. Rowland recently unleashed her inner bad girl at show in London, too bad no one told shawty she'd have to stoop this, low, low, low, low, low to be noticed. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Bey IV speeches a month before Bailey killed

One month before the slaying of a journalist who was investigating Your Black Muslim Bakery, the bakery's young leader urged his followers to be "strong soldiers" and combat the many enemies he said were conspiring to bring down the embattled Oakland institution. "We fight the government, we fight the police, we fight our own families, we fight our own people, and we fight Caucasian people daily - just to do right," Yusuf Bey IV declared in a fiery videotaped sermon obtained recently by The Chronicle. "They use our own people to go against us - people like you or I - to go against a strong organization like Your Black Muslim Bakery," he also said. "It's going to take strong men to stand up, it's going to take strong soldiers to stand up and do something for ourselves." The sermon, delivered sometime in July, presaged the Aug. 2 street corner shooting death of Chauncey Bailey, editor of an African American community newspaper, who had been working on a story about infighting and financial problems at the bakery. Arrested on unrelated kidnapping and torture charges after Bailey's death, Bey IV denied complicity in the journalist's murder. But police quoted Bey IV as saying Bailey had slandered his late father, bakery founder Yusuf Bey, who died in 2003. Meanwhile, the bakery handyman who confessed to the slaying, Devaughndre Brouassard, 19, told police he had killed the journalist to be a "strong soldier," according to an investigator's notes - the same words Bey IV used in the sermon. Broussard later recanted and is awaiting trial. A video recording of another Bey IV sermon from 2007 also provides insights into the bakery's close relationship with former Oakland Police Chief Joseph Samuels, now a federal airport official in Florida. Bey IV declared that Samuels had "told all his officers: Leave Your Black Muslim Bakery alone, they're brothers." SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Carnival Party Guide To Rio

Valentino, Quincy Jones, and models Natalia Vodianova and Daria Werbowy have all confirmed that they will be in Rio for Carnival. If you are heading to Rio later this week as well, here is a list of parties and events you will not want to miss. Friday, February 1st: R:evolution Open Air with DJ Tony Moran at Clube de Remo do Flamengo. Babylon International Connection with DJ Stephan Grondin at The Week Rio. Saturday, February 2nd: Cosmopolitan with DJ Peter Rauhofer at The Week Rio. Verão TIM with David Guetta at Jockey Club (not a gay event). Sunday, February 3rd: The Original Brazilian Pool Party with DJ Roland Belmares at Clube Internacional de Regatas. Day Party with Matinee Group at The Week Rio, starting at 4pm. B.I.T.C.H. with DJ Offer Nissim at Fundição Progresso. Monday, February 4th: Cosmopolitan with DJ Isaac Escalante at The Week Rio. Tuesday, February 5th: The Original Brazilian Pool Party with DJ Bill Halquist at Clube Internacional de Regatas. Day Party with DJ Brett Henrichsen at The Week Rio, starting at 4pm. X-Demente at Marina da Glória (the line up has not yet been confirmed). SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Calling All Queens!: CoverGirl Queen Casting Call

Ever wonder if you have what it takes to be a Cover Girl? Well, now is your chance to find out. Last year, CoverGirl partnered with Queen Latifah to introduce the new Natural Hue Foundation – compact foundation that matches up to 97% of skin tones from Rich Sand to True Ebony. Now, CoverGirl has launched the New Vibrant Hue Lipsticks in 21 shades of high voltage color with two distinct finishes - rich and creamy or sheer and shiny! In order to select the faces for their next campaign, Queen Latifah and CoverGirl have launched an online casting call to find the next group of remarkable women to represent the CoverGirl Queen Collection. Now it’s your chance to be one of these inspiring women! Simply visit the CoverGirl Queen Casting Site at http://www.everywomanisaqueen.com/exclusives.do and register for the contest. All you need to do is upload your photo and share your story – explaining what limitations you have overcome in your life. The winner will be selected by Queen Latifah herself and will be featured in a CoverGirl advertorial in a major magazine!!Women are encouraged to enter the casting call online at www.everywomanisaqueen.com.